Rinse It All Away
by Akira of the Twilight
Summary: Tyka lemon/ Kai and Tyson's fights have been taken to a whole new level. They abuse each other in more ways then one, and Tyson is feed up with it so he leaves, but not a lot of people like that idea, and what happens when Kai finds him?
1. Going Under

Disclaimer: Dude I can barely draw anime and you're asking me if I can create a whole Anime series? Are you nuts! There is no why in hell I could own Beyblade!

Warning: TyKa! Lemon A.K.A. Sex! I'm thinking of throwing in some ReiMax in here in later chapters.

Chapter 1

"I Won't Let You Pull Me Down"

_Going Under_- Evanescence

It was indescribable, the heat and the passion that flowed between them, but hadn't they only been fighting a moment before? Moans of pleasure could be heard as the two lovers pleasured each other. Touching, licking, pressing against each other, gasping for breath, clawing at each other. It wasn't the first time this had happened. Recently this always seemed to happen whenever they got in a fight.

First they would be bickering over the smallest thing, and then they would be saying hurtful things to each other. As the fight grew more heated they would start throwing punches at each other. Before either knew it they would start touching each other in intimate yet aggressive ways. The heat would soon turn to passion and without even thinking about what they would allow their bodies to unite, but even though they were doing an act meant for lovers it was filled with nothing but anger, frustration, want, and the need to dominate and destroy.

Tyson tried to hold back a cry of pain as he felt Kai drag his nails down his sides leaving red marks that would fade in a few days. Pulling the dual haired boy closer to him Tyson bit down hard on the other boy's neck, drawing blood in the process. He hated this. He hated how they would be fighting and then this would happen. He didn't want this. He had wanted his first time to be with the one he loved but in the end he had given himself up to Kai. Kai, the one who hated him most in the world. It disgusted him.

Lips press roughly against his as teeth bit harshly on his bottom lip drawing the sweet copper tasting blood. Unwillingly, Tyson opened his mouth to let Kai's tongue enter and then quickly bit the offending appendage. Kai pulled his face back a few inches away from Tyson's and glared heatedly at the younger teen before attacking the boy's lips again, this time showing no mercy.

Tyson tried holding back another moan of pleasure and pain. He felt Kai entering him, but any cries he made were muffled by Kai's mouth on his. It hurt so much, but it felt so good. He knew it was wrong but he couldn't do anything. Kai plunged deeper into him and instinctively he wrapped his arms around Kai's shoulders and dug his nails into the teen's back.

Kai felt Tyson's nails digging into his back and in reply to the action he pulled the other boy's hair roughly. He heard a whimper of pain come Tyson, but he didn't care. He wanted Tyson to suffer. He wanted the boy to feel as much pain as possible. He plunged into Tyson again and this time he was sure he had drawn some blood, good, that meant Tyson would feel immense pain for the next few days.

A gasp of pain, shock, and pleasure passed through Tyson's lips as he felt the cool metallic liquid pooling around his legs. It hurt so much but he wouldn't cry. Not even thinking about the consequences for his actions Tyson grabbed a handful of Kai's hair and pulled the older boy's face to his and roughly kissed his teammate. Blood poured from both of their mouths as they kissed and bit each other.

Dragging his nails down Tyson's chest Kai left ten trails of blood flowing down the younger boy's chest. Pulling away from their bloody kiss Kai leaned down and lapped up the blood from Tyson's chest and smirked when he felt a shiver run through teen.

Tears burned in the corner of his eyes but Tyson wouldn't let them fall. Crying would mean Kai won and he wasn't going to give the other boy the satisfaction of knowing he won. Burying his fingers in Kai's luscious hair Tyson tugged on it, but got no reaction from Kai, that is until he felt the older boy slam into him again, this time harder then all the other times.

The once white and pristine bedspread that the boy's had been laying on was never covered in blood. One them was most likely going to have to burn it if they didn't want anyone to find out about their affair because there was no possible way they were going to be able to clean out all of the blood.

A cry of pleasure and great anguish echoed off the walls as Tyson came to his climax. As his walls tightened around Kai's member the dual haired boy made one more thrust that made Tyson cry out again and then he spilt his own essence into the boy he had pinned under him.

Kai rolled off of Tyson and the two breathed deeply in hopes of regaining some of their lost breath, but as they did they glared at each other. Both of them letting the other know how much they hated the other, before fading into sleep.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

It was still dark out when Tyson woke up. Kai was still asleep, but Tyson had expected it. Ever since this deadly ritual had started he had learned that he would often wake up before Kai because in the middle of his sleep he would move causing pain to shoot through his body and then he would wake up instantly to the pain, and tonight was no exception. His whole body ached in pain, no pain wasn't the right word to describe it. What he was feeling was greater than that. It burned his flesh and turned his blood into a lava so hot it melted away his bones in a taunting and slow way.

He sat up and moved, ignoring the pain that grew inside him with each step he took. He could feel the cool blood running down his chest as the wounds reopened themselves. This was nothing. He had felt worse, so he could take it no matter how much his body protested against it. His legs felt so heavy, almost as if they were chained to three tons of weight, but he had to get to the bathroom. He had to clean himself of this… this… this…. He didn't know what this was but he knew he despised it.

Once inside the bathroom he closed the door and locked it. He didn't bother turning on the lights, he knew where everything was, and even if he didn't it wasn't like he could be hurt much more anyway. A sad smile appeared on Tyson's face at the thought. He really hated all of this but he didn't know what to do to stop this.

Stepping into the shower he turned the knob for the water and let the icy cold drops touch his face and wash away the blood from his body. The crystal clear waters melded with the dark crimson blood to become a bright red liquid that washed over Tyson's body. Tears formed in Tyson's eyes as he stared at the impure water that now swam at his feet. He couldn't stand this. He wanted it to all to end.

_When did this happen? _Tyson thought to himself. _I know we never got along but how did we end up like this? We get in a fight over the smallest thing and then we have angry sex and nothing gets solved. Why are we doing this to each other? I'm sick of it. _A sob echoed off the shower walls but the tears that remained in Tyson's eyes never fell.

Furiously Tyson grabbed a washcloth and began to roughly rub his skin. He rubbed the cloth against his skin so hard it began to peel and turn red, but it wasn't enough. He felt so dirty and pathetic. _I hate this, but I don't know what to do to stop this! I just want to run and hide and curl up in a corner and pray no one ever finds me! Does Kai even care about what we're doing! It's wrong! We shouldn't be doing this to each other! We're teammates for crying out loud!_

Tyson fell to his knees and kept scrubbing himself with the washcloth. He needed to rinse himself of all this. Rinse away all the pain, all the abuse, all the desire. It was all so wrong. They weren't in love, and probably the only time they did desire each other was when their fights got to such a heated level. It wasn't right for them to do all these things and yet they couldn't stop.

The water was so cold now against his abused flesh, but it burnt like acid. _Kai, I want this to end. I want to run away from all of this. Please, can't we let everything return back to normal? Can't we go back to just being friends, even if we weren't really good ones?_ Silence answered Tyson's questions. He felt so alone and abandon as he sat there alone in the shower as the water poured on him. Only one train of thought was left in his head as he sat there on the cold tiled shower floor.

I want to run away… I want this to all end… I want to runaway and never come back… I don't want to do this any more… I want to leave Kai… I want to be free of all this… I want my happy life back… I want to run and hide… 

Tyson used all of his will power to turn off the water that felt like it was bruising his skin. Shakily he managed to step out of the shower and wrap a white fluffy towel around his slim waist and grabbed the first aid kit by the sink. Taking a seat on the toilet Tyson put the little box on his lap and opened it. He had done this so many times now he didn't even have to think about what he was doing as he began to bandage himself up.

I want to runaway… I want to runaway… 

… _but what if Kai comes after me?_

_Why would he do that?_

_He doesn't care…_

_What we're doing isn't out of love, but out of hate…_

_He won't care…_

_My absence will make both of us happy…_

_I wonder if he'll notice?_

_Probably not…_

_I just want, no, need, to run away…_

_I will leave…_

_I will runaway…_

Tyson now stood in his bedroom dressed in blue jeans and a black tank top he had found in his dresser, with his usual hat on his head. Grabbing a random jacket out of his dresser he put it on, and then began to grab more clothes out of his dresser. Quietly he stuffed each piece of clothing into one of his old school backpacks. Once his backpack only had a little bit of room left he went to the kitchen and grabbed some fruit and other foods that wouldn't go bad for a while.

After filling his bag with what he thought would he need Tyson went back to his room and grabbed his wallet. Before leaving he looked in it to see how much money he had, it was enough to last two or three days but he needed more. Desperate for money Tyson did the one thing he never thought he would do. He snuck into his own grandfather's room and took whatever money he could find lying around.

Tyson did feel guilty for taking money from his grandfather but he was sure that Gramps would understand if he explained everything to him, which he would eventually, but right now all that mattered was getting away from Kai.

With tears forming behind his eyes Tyson left the one place that had always been his home. He knew his friends and family would worry about him, and that alone made him want to turn back and go back to the place, but he couldn't. He had already done too many shameful things. He couldn't go back home. He could never see his loved ones again.

A gust of wind blew past Tyson and as it did so it took his tears with it. As they floated down to the ground Tyson took off in a run, as the wind continued to steal his tears and make them fall. One teardrop slid down his cheek and onto his lip. Subconsciously he licked his lip to taste the salty liquid and murmured below a whisper, "I'm sorry."

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.


	2. Mirror Mirror

Chapter 2

"In the Heat of the Moment I was the One to Blame"

_Mirror Mirror_- M2M

A strong metallic copper scent filled Kai's nose as he breathed in the air around him, and he shot up in bed fully awake. That scent, it was so familiar and he had been waking up to it many nights in a row now, but he still couldn't get used to it. Images from the night before filled his head, and Kai had to turn his head away from the bloody sheets in shame.

He never wanted this, but when the fights became too heated he lost it. Whether it was Tyson or him who gave the first kiss in their fights it always ended with the same results. Both of them hurt, but Tyson receiving most of the damage. He knew Tyson could defend himself, but he also knew even in their most hateful moments Tyson never wanted to hurt him, and that compassion was all he needed to pin Tyson beneath him and do things he never dreamt he would do to Tyson.

Subconsciously the dual haired blader ran his hand over Tyson's side of the bed. He didn't have to look up to know Tyson wasn't there. The bluenette recently started waking up before him every time they did this to each other, and always after Kai left the room he would return and try to go back to sleep, so none of their friends would be suspicious of them.

It was strange in a way. They never agreed aloud to keep this secret, but somehow they had reached a mutual agreement without conversing. A sad smiled flickered on Kai's face, but just as soon as it appeared it was gone. They also without discussing anything had come up with a way of hiding the evidence, and it was time for Kai to do his part. Without making a sound he stripped the sheets off the bed and stuffed it into the bag that contained all of his cloths. He would have to burn the sheets later or else someone might find them.

Now that that was done he just had to take a shower so Tyson could sneak back into the bedroom and try to fall back asleep. Grabbing some cloths out of his duffle bag Kai made his way to the shower, but little did he know that things were going to be different this morning.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

A moan passed through Tyson's lips as the sun shined through the window and landed directly into his eyes. He swore the sun was against him. Why is it whenever he woke up the sun was in his eyes? Maybe he pissed off a sun god or something?

"O-ou-ouch!" the boy hissed between his teeth as he slowly sat up in bed. _Damn, it hurts. It hurts just to breath. Did Kai have to scratch up my chest so bad?_ Gazing around the room Tyson sighed. The room he was staying in wasn't too bad but it wasn't the greatest. It had a wood floor and a small refrigerator in the corner and a comfy bed, but it wasn't like most of the hotel rooms he had slept in before.

"Oh well beggars can't be choosers," Tyson muttered to himself. Careful not to reopen his injuries Tyson reached over to the bedside table where there was a phone and picked it up. For what seemed like a long time he stared at the phone in his hand and then put it back down.

He couldn't do it. He promised himself that he was going to call his grandfather and tell him about the situation, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. What would his grandpa think of him if he found out what he had been doing with Kai? Would he think Tyson was weak? Would his grandpa think he deserved the treatment? There had been times when Tyson had been the first to take their fights to a new level, so maybe he did deserve whatever happened to him.

Tyson's body began to tremble violently. _I'm scared. I can't believe I'm actually scared of Grandpa. How can I be scared of him?_

_It could be because he controls your future, _A voice in the back of Tyson's head answered.

And for the first time did Tyson see what could happen to him. If after listening to Tyson Grandpa decided to help his grandson then… well a lot of things could happen, and not all of them good, but if he didn't then Tyson would have to come home. Home to a grandpa who would be ashamed of him, and home to a most likely pissed off Kai. So many things could go wrong.

Forgetting his wounds, Tyson fell back down on the bed with a deep shuddered breath. What was he going to do? How could he make this right?

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

"KAI!"

The mentioned teen scowled at the voice of the hyper blonde calling him. What the hell could Max want now? He had just gotten out of the shower and was going to go practice. Hearing footsteps running towards him Kai hid his scowl with his usual calm expression and waited quietly for the blonde to catch up to him.

Once Max had caught up with Kai the blonde stopped running and bent down while he placed both hands on his knees and breathed deeply. He had been running around looking for Kai for the longest time and he needed to catch his breath. "Kai have you seen Tyson?"

"No."

Panic filled Max. He had gone into the bluenette's room to wake him up, but when he got there he found the room empty and the bed stripped of its sheets. After asking everyone, he found out no one had seen Tyson this morning so that just left Kai. Unconsciously Max bit his bottom lip. This wasn't good. If no one saw Tyson this morning then something must be terribly wrong.

"Why?" Kai asked eyeing the blonde. Max seemed upset about something and it clearly involved that stupid Tyson in some way.

Snapping out of his thoughts Max blushed in embarrassment. "I know it's nothing serious," _At least I hope it's not, "_but I haven't seen Tyson all morning, and his bed has been stripped of its sheets."

_Stripped of its sheets? But Tyson always puts new sheets on before he goes back to sleep so no one will question why they have suddenly gone missing, _Kai thought as a small undetectable frown formed on his lips. _Something isn't right. _"Wait a bit longer. If Tyson doesn't show up by the afternoon we'll all go out looking for him."

Max nodded his head enthusiastically, and ran off to tell everyone about the plan. _I just hope Tyson's okay, _were Max's last thoughts.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

Night had fallen a long time ago and no one had found Tyson. The holder of Dragoon just seemed to vanish off the face of the planet. The police were now looking for him, but that didn't ease anybody's mind. Max had been bouncing off the walls with worry, and Rei's normally calm demeanor was broken for once. Kenny had been using Dizzy to see if he could find Tyson, but in the end the search came up fruitless. Tyson's grandpa himself had been yelling at the officers, demanding that they find his grandson, and Kai… Kai leaned up against the wall giving anyone who dared to come near him a death glare. It wasn't until Kai was alone did he show some concern.

X.X.X.X.X.

Kai could only stand in the doorway to Tyson's room. Every time he tried to take a step into the room a great weight would settle over him and it would become harder to breath. It annoyed him to no end. How many times had he been in this room before and not felt a thing? Too many to count if you asked him. Why did he feel this foreboding feeling now, or was this feeling something else?

Maybe he felt bad for what he had done to Tyson? Maybe it was because of what he did to Tyson that the blue haired boy left? If that was the case how was he going to get him back? He had to get him back. Tyson was his rival and there was no way in hell he was going to let him runaway.

Disgusted with himself for ever thinking he felt bad about what he had done for a second Kai turned to leave the room. He didn't care about Tyson. He just wanted his rival back.

_I will find you Tyson and when I do you are going to wish you were never born. _

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.


	3. Behind These Hazel Eyes

. Chapter 3

"Broken Up, Deep Inside, But You Won't Get to See These Tears I Cry"

_Behind These Hazel Eyes_- Kelly Clarkson

A loud crash could be heard coming from Tyson's apartment room. It had been a week since he ran away and again he had tried to call his grandpa and explain the situation, but in the end he had chickened out and in his frustration threw the phone at the wall. What was he going to do? He was running low on cash and if he didn't call his grandpa soon then he'd have to go home and face everyone.

Nervously, Tyson ran a hand through his hair. It seemed like he could only lose in this situation. He knew there were a few possible chances of everything turning out okay if he called his grandpa, but he couldn't will himself to risk his grandpa getting mad at Kai and treating the boy any differently.

_Why am I worried about how Grandpa will treat Kai? Kai has been nothing but a pain to me since day one… but he's still my friend and I don't want him to get hurt. _Tears pooled behind Tyson's eyes, but before they could fall he wiped them away. He hated this feeling of hopelessness. Maybe running away had been a bad idea, but what could he do? If he stayed then Kai and him would continue to take their frustrations out on each other.

Taking deep relaxing breaths Tyson walked over to where the phone had landed after he threw it, and picked it up. His hands were shaking with something akin to fear and anticipation as he stared down at the phone in his hands. Taking another deep breath to calm his nerves he began to type in his phone number. There was a dial tone, and after three rings someone answered but it wasn't who Tyson expected it to be.

"Hello, Granger residence," Tyson could recognize that voice anywhere. The person who had answered the phone was none other than his best friend, Max.

"Max? What are you doing at my house?"

"Tyson?!" Shock and worry filled the blonde's voice. "Where are you! Why did you runaway! What's going on! Tyson! Tyson! Answer me!"

Tyson's hand that was holding the phone was stretched out as far as way as it possibly could be from his body. Max didn't yell a lot but when the boy did it was extremely painful on the ears. When there was silence on the other end of the phone again Tyson put the phone back next to his ear. "So are you done yelling at me yet?"

An angry huff could be heard on the other line but Tyson chose to ignore it. "No I'm not done yelling at you yet Tyson! Now are you going to tell me why you ran away or not?"

"Can I talk to Grandpa please?"

"No!" Max yelled. Tyson could just see Max's face contorting with rage. "He's not home right now anyway. Now me tell what's going on."

With his free hand Tyson rubbed one of his temples, he was getting a large headache and Max's yelling wasn't helping one bit. "I only called because I wanted to talk to Grandpa, and since he's not there I'm going to hang up now, okay? Bye."

"Damn it Tyson! You hang up this phone and I'll… I'll… I'll tell the police about your phone call and they'll trace it and they'll find you!" Max wasn't sure if the police could actually do that after the phone call had been made, but it was worth a shot.

Tyson like Max wasn't sure if police could actually track him once he hung up the phone, but he didn't want to risk it. "What do you want to know?" Tyson said in a defeated voice.

Relief washed over Max, but it was short lived as he asked his question again. "What happened, Tyson? Why did you run away?"

A sinking feeling settled in Tyson's stomach. How could he tell his best friend what happened. Deep down he was dying to tell his friend everything, but he knew he couldn't tell him. What if Max hated him after he told him everything? What if Kai found out he told Max? Would Max tell everyone else? How would they react? Would they hurt Kai? Would they hurt him? No it wasn't safe to tell Max.

"I'm s-sorry M-Max, but I-I c-can't tell you," Tyson cursed the stutter in his voice. If Max heard the weakness in his voice then the blonde wouldn't leave him alone until Max got the information he needed.

"Tyson?" Max's voice was calm and soothing, but at the same time curious.

The painful feeling in Tyson's stomach grew and spread threw his body, making it hard for him to breath. He really wanted to tell Max everything, but what if something went wrong? He'd never forgive himself if he upset Max in some way. _But didn't you already upset him by running away? Some friend you are. Did you ever think about anyone else? You're selfish. You don't care about anyone but yourself. _

Tyson's grip on the phone tightened as his thoughts became self-loathing. He could feel the tears burning behind his eyes, but like last time he pushed them down. He wouldn't let this affect him. No matter how much it hurt he would not let himself cry.

"Tyson?" Max tried again. "Tyson? … I don't know what's going on but you can tell me. I know you wouldn't run away without a reason. You know, when you think about it it's kind of funny. Kai runs off all the time but we don't make a big deal when he does, but when you do we call the police, the neighbors, and everyone you've ever been in contact with." Max gave a soft laugh at the joke, and Tyson couldn't help but smile, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't laugh.

_I want tell Max what happened. I want to tell_ _him. I know I shouldn't but he's my best friend and… and I think if I don't tell someone soon I'm going to have a breakdown. _Tyson's body began to shake with ragged breaths. It was either now or never. He could tell Max what happened or hang up and try to call again, but did he have the strength to do such a thing?

"I don't know where to start," Tyson barely said above a whisper, but Max heard him.

"It's okay Tyson. Just say what you can say," Max tried to comfort his best friend but it did little to ease Tyson.

Licking his lips and taking a big gulp of air Tyson tried to tell Max what happened as best as he could. "I guess it started a few months ago. Kai had come over challenging me to a beybattle, and after our battle he stayed to rest for a bit, so I tried to talk to him, and I think that's where everything went down hill. We started fighting, I can't remember what it was about, but one second we're yelling at each other and the next we were having a fist fight." Tyson paused. Was it safe to tell Max the rest? He trusted the blonde, but what if … what if…

Thoughts of all the possible outcomes of what would happen if he told Max filled his head. None them were the solution that he was looking for, but did he even know what the solution he wanted was? For now maybe it would be best if he just kept silent until he knew what he wanted. It was the only thing he could do that wouldn't resort in something bad happening.

"What else happened, Tyson?" Max inquired. It didn't seem likely that Tyson would run away because of a fight between him and Kai that happened a few months ago.

Tyson gulped. He should have known Max would figure that there was more to his story. "A few days later we fought again, and soon we were fighting every time we ran into each other."

"But Tyson, that doesn't make any sense. If you fought that much I think Rei and I would have noticed."

"There would be times when we would want to get into a fist fight with each other, but someone would be there, and if that was the case then we would wait until everyone was gone." Silence flooded from the other line of the phone, and Tyson wasn't one bit surprised by this reaction. Who wouldn't be shocked to find their two friends beat the crap out of each other every chance they got? "I know this a lot to take in Max, but it's why I ran away," _Or at least part of it. _Tyson winced. He felt horrible about lying to Max but it had to be done, and it wasn't as if he was really lying. He just hadn't told Max everything.

"Please don't be upset with Kai or me, Max. We are both to blame. We both hurt each other, but now I'm tired of it and the only way I could think of dealing with it was running away. Please forgive me, but it was my only choice."

_No it wasn't, _a small part of Tyson's mind argued. _Running away doesn't solve anything. If anything it has made the situation worse. You could have stayed and talked it out with Kai. I'm sure he's just as tired of this whole thing as you are._

_And what if he isn't? _Another part of Tyson's mind argued. _What if he liked it and you had gone to talk to him? Then everything would happen again, and he probably would be rougher with you. No, this was the right decision. This has to be the right decision. _

"I'm not mad at you Tyson, but I am worried and concern. What are you going to do? You know you can't run away for ever."

"I know that Max that's why I was going to call Gramps and see if he would loan me some money so I can stay here a little longer." Max was about to protest, but Tyson cut him off. "I'm not planning on staying away forever Max, but I need time to think everything out, and who knows, the separation might actually help Kai and me. The truth is I'm more worried about what Gramps might say. What if he doesn't want to help me, Max? What if he abandons me? And what will happen if he does help me, but instead of letting me solve this on my own, he tries to get Kai arrested for assault? I don't want Kai to get in trouble, especially when he wasn't always the one who threw the first punch!"

"Calm down Tyson. Just take a deep breath. In. Out. In. Out," Max continued to instruct Tyson until he heard the bluenette's breathing even out. "After listening to what you said I think it might be best that you avoid telling Gramps a bit longer. Now that's just my opinion so you don't have to listen to me. I know you need help Tyson but you don't sound ready to confront your grandpa, so I have an idea that might just work."

Tyson held his breath. His body tensed with hope. He'd give anything for another option in this sea of chaos. "Instead of telling your grandpa let's tell Mr. Dickinson? I think if we explained the situation he would understand and help you out. He knows about how Kai and you tend to fight a lot, and he probably would understand why your doing this and respect how you want to solve it more than you're grandpa. No offense to Gramps, but relatives tend to become overprotective in these situations and won't listen to reason. So what do you think Tyson? I'll even tell Mr. Dickinson for you."

For the first time in months Tyson felt nothing. No pain, no regret, no fear, no anger; he felt completely nothing, and he welcomed the feeling with open arms. This could work. It just might work. "Max you'll never understand how grateful I am to you at this moment. But do you think the plan will work?"

"It could Tyson, but in order for it to work I'm going to get the address of the hotel you're staying at and what room you're in." Max paused for second before adding, "and the phone number would be nice, but I understand if you don't want to give it to me."

"Do you have a piece of paper and pen?" Tyson asked instead of answering Max's question. Once Max let him know he had all the materials Tyson began telling the blonde all the information he had asked for, but stopped before giving the phone number. "Uh Max, as much as I want to give you the phone number I can't, but to help you and Mr. Dickinson out I'll tell you the name I'm registered under here. It's Takao Kinomiya, and Max, please don't tell anyone other than Mr. Dickinson. And please tell him not to tell either. I'm not ready yet."

Max's smiled into the phone. "Of course _Takao Kinomiya_. You don't even have to ask, but I better go before someone over hears me talking to you. If you get the chance you should probably call Mr. D and see what he says. Bye."

X.X.X.X.X.

"Bye," and with that there was a click on the end of the phone letting Max know Tyson had hung up. With his smile still plastered on his face the blonde hung up the phone. He couldn't be any happier knowing his best friend was alive and well, but he was worried about Kai.

At the thought of Kai Max's smile vanished. What was Kai going to do when he and Tyson met again? Would he even listen to Tyson's reasons for running away? It was hard to say. Kai only cared about Tyson when it came to Beyblading, but other than that the dual haired teen acted like he didn't care if Tyson dropped dead. It was hard to say if Kai would be upset with Tyson when he saw the bluenette again.

"Who exactly is Takao Kinomiya?"

Max froze. He recognized that bone chilling voice, and right now it wasn't welcomed. Gulping down the terror that filled him, Max aimed one of his smiles in the direction the voice came from. "Oh no one really, Kai. Just a friend."

Kai stared at Max. Something about the blonde was off and he had a feeling it had something to do with Tyson. "Really? Then why does your friend need to call Mr. Dickinson?"

"He's thinking about getting a part time job and wants to see if he can work for Mr. D. I told him I would put in a good word for him. Now excuse me, but I need to go. My dad asked me to be home soon." Max added the last sentence as a second thought. Hopefully Kai would believe his excuse.

When Max received a nod from Kai he ran off as fast as his legs could carry him, thanking whatever deities decided to show mercy upon him by making Kai believe his story.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

Kai silently glared at the blonde's retreating back as he ran away. He knew it had been a lie, and there was only one reason why Max would lie, Tyson. What was the annoying holder of Dragoon up to now? Wasn't running away and making everyone worried about him bad enough already? Now he was making his friends keep secrets from each other too? Well, Kai never did count himself as a friend, but that was beside the point.

If Tyson wanted to continue hiding fine, but Kai would be damned if he let Tyson keep him in the dark about whatever was going on. He would find Tyson and make the boy explain what was going through that mind of his and when he did there would be hell to pay. And he already had a hint as to how to find Tyson.

_Mr. Dickinson and Takao Kinomiya,_ Kai's lips formed a smirk at the thought.

X.X.X.X.X.X.

Akira: Darn it. I just keep making Kai seem like a bastard, but I guess it was necessary in this chapter. In case anyone's wondering, Yes I do know Takao Kinomiya is Tyson's Japanese name, but in this fic he uses it as a fake. I hope you guys don't mind.


	4. Dear John Letter

Chapter 4

"I Tried To Stay But It Never Got Better"

_Dear John Letter_- Whitney Houston

"Don't worry Mr. D everything is fine," Tyson said into the phone as he tried to calm down Mr. Dickinson. "I'm sure things between Kai and me will cool down."

"I know Tyson, but are you sure separation is the best answer? The best solution with these kind of problems is to talk things out, and you two can't do that when you're not together."

Tyson huffed and threw himself onto the hotel bed. It was bad enough he was doubting his own plan but now he had Mr. D doing it too. "I know, but I think it would be best if I give Kai and me sometime to sort things out alone. At least I know I need sometime to think."

The bluenette heard Mr. Dickinson sigh in frustration and defeat on the other side of the phone. "I understand Tyson, but please don't stay away too long. Everyone is worried about you. Do you want me to inform your grandfather about what's going on?"

"NO!" Tyson shouted into the phone. "I'm sorry Mr. D but I think in this case it's better if I tell him on my own, but thank you for offering and for paying for my hotel room."

"Your welcome Tyson, and remember what I said." With those last words Mr. Dickinson hung up and a dial tone could be heard coming from the other side of the phone line.

A few minutes passed and Tyson laid there listening to the dial tone. He felt free, but at the same time he felt like a cornered animal that was about to be pounced on. Everything was so surreal. Maybe deep down he never believed Mr. Dickinson would help him.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

On the other side of town Mr. Dickinson was pacing in his office nervously. He knew Kai and Tyson weren't on the best of terms, but never in his wildest dream did he imagine they would go as far as getting into fistfights with each other. Both had so much respect for the other.

A knock at his door tore Mr. Dickinson out of his deep thoughts. Without thinking about who could be on the other side of the door he called the person in. "Come in."

The door opened, and to Mr. Dickinson's horror, standing on the other side of the door was Kai. The teen's demeanor wasn't friendly, but it wasn't hostile either, and something about that made Mr. Dickinson nervous. "Kai what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to know if any new information had been found on Tyson," Kai answered calmly, but there was an undercurrent in his voice that made it clear he was up to something. "Also your secretary asked me to tell you there's someone waiting for you in the board room. She said the guy needed to talk to you about something important."

Mr. Dickinson could feel the sweat forming on his forehead. Was it just coincidence that Kai was here after his phone call with Tyson? It had to be. It wasn't like Kai knew how to tap into the phone lines. "I'm sorry Kai but there is no new information on Tyson at the moment, but thank you for delivering that message to me."

When Mr. D started to leave his office he noticed Kai wasn't moving. Confused by the boy's actions he did the only thing he could think of. "If you want to you can stay here, and when I get back we can discuss matters involving Tyson."

Kai nodded his head and Mr. Dickinson left the room.

Without a word Kai walked over to Mr. Dickinson's desk and looked over the papers on it. He knew Mr. D was keeping contact with Tyson, so it was only a matter of finding out how they were keeping contact and then use it to his advantage.

A piece of what looked like scratch paper caught Kai's attention. It looked like it had been torn out of a notebook and there was something scribbled on it. Picking up the paper he read it over and smirked. On the top of the paper was the name Takao Kinomiya and below that was an address.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

Tyson lay moping on the bed. He'd hung up the phone a while ago, but something in him was crying out. He didn't know what was crying out and why, but he could feel an intense longing in him. Was he lonely? The bluenette frowned at the thought. Why should he be lonely? It had been over a week since he ran away and he was used to the solitude that came with it, so what could it be?

_Kai._

The bluenette's heart ached at the thought of his team captain. He loved Kai, maybe not as a lover or a boyfriend, but Kai had grown on him and it hurt to think about all the pain they had caused each other. He would have given anything for things to get better instead of having to run away.

He also hated how he had to lie to Max. The blonde was his best friend and he should know the truth but Tyson couldn't bring himself to tell Max what happened when the fistfights weren't enough and Kai and him took it a step higher. If only he could tell Max, but he knew he couldn't.

Then there was his grandpa. His grandpa had taken care of him since he was a kid, and he ran away and stole money without explaining himself to the one person who loved him all those years. He just wished he could take everything back.

"What am I doing?" Tyson's voice came out weak and self-loathing sounding. He was hurting so many people. He would of stayed if he known this was going to happen, but he had been selfish and wanted it all to stop and ran away. Maybe if things had seemed like they were getting better he would have stayed, but he got scared and without thinking he left.

A knock at his door startled Tyson out of his pitiful state. A shiver of fear went up his spine and the feeling of being caught knotted in the bluenette's stomach. Gulping down his terror Tyson pushed himself off the bed and walked over to the door.

Tyson's hand was shaking as he reached for the doorknob. Why was he so scared? The only people who knew the hotel he was staying in was Mr. Dickinson and Max and they wouldn't do anything to him. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes the holder of Dragoon pulled the door open and braced himself for whatever was behind the door.

"Tyson."

The mentioned bluenette froze in horror. He recognized that voice.


	5. With You

Chapter 5

"Sometimes It's Hard to Breath Just Knowing You Found Me"

_With You_- Jessica Simpson

"Tyson," the owner of the voice tried again when the bluenette didn't move.

This time Tyson responded, "How'd you find me Rei?"

The holder of Driger frowned at the sound of fear in his friend's voice. "Max told me." Rei saw the flash of pain and betrayal that filled the bluenette's eyes, and immediately began to explain what happened. "Don't be mad at him Tyson. I could tell he was keeping something from all of us, so I forced him to tell me. He also begged me not to tell anyone else, and to stay way and wait for you to come back."

"And why didn't you?"

The way Tyson asked his question upset Rei. It wasn't friendly or angry, it was suspicious and it gave off the sense that if he answered incorrectly Tyson would force him to leave. Contemplating his words carefully Rei answered. "You're my friend and I was worried, and even though Max said you were fine I had to make sure myself."

Tyson nodded his head in understanding. He knew if he had been in the same position as Rei he would have done the same thing, but it didn't calm his nerves. Rei had managed to figure out Max was keeping something from everyone, which meant Kai probably noticed too, and if the blonde had been forced into telling Rei what were the chances that Kai would be able to get the information out of Max?

Pushing his fear aside the bluenette stepped to the side of the door and held it open to his friend; a silent invitation to come inside. With a nod the holder of Driger went into the hotel room and began appraising the room. Noting the frown on his friend's face Tyson tilted his head to the side in confusion. "What's wrong Rei?"

"Nothing really. I'm just surprised that you're not living in a more high standard place," Rei replied

Tyson scoffed at this. "Are you kidding me Rei? I ran away. This isn't some vacation for me. I was barely getting by on my own, and now I'm getting money from Mr. D, but it's only for necessities. Get it, no luxury items."

Chuckling Rei raised his hands up in a defensive gesture. "I know, I know, but still Tyson, you're the world Champ. It's hard to imagine you with a hotel room like this. It's even harder to imagine that you were able to run away in the first place."

"Oh? And why is that?" Tyson teased.

"Do I really have to explain it to you?" At Tyson's nod Rei smiled and explained. "Because you're famous. I'm surprised no one has recognized you yet."

"Thanks, I love hearing that every time," Tyson said with a cocky grin on his face. Okay, maybe the fame did get to him sometimes, but he wasn't that bad, and at this point in his life it was nice to know there were people out there that noticed him and cared about him.

"Now there's the Tyson I know," Rei said taking Tyson by surprise.

What was Rei talking about? It sounded like the older boy thought he had been acting different, but he hadn't, had he? He didn't feel any different. Maybe Rei only thought his attitude had changed because they hadn't seen each other for a while, but that didn't make sense. There had been times when they hadn't seen each other for months and never had Rei said anything about him acting out of character before.

"You really can't see it?" Rei asked in disbelief. Tyson had been acting so strange since he got here that it would be impossible to miss. "Tyson you've been acting like I'm going to pull out a gun at any second and shoot you since I got here."

Blushing in embarrassment Tyson turned his head away so his friend wouldn't see the red tint on his cheeks. "I guess I'm worried about Kai more than I thought, sorry."

"It's okay Tyson, I understand," Rei tried to comfort, but the bluenette acted no different than before.

"Um, Rei?" Tyson started nervously. "I know this may be rude, but do you think you could leave? It's not that I'm upset with you or anything. I just need some space and time to soak in everything. It's not easy dealing with one of your friends finding you after you run away, and then learning that you yourself have changed. You can come back, but like I said, right now isn't the best time."

Hurt flickered in Rei's golden eyes, but he didn't saying anything about it. "If that's what you want Tyson." The bluenette nodded and solemnly Rei did what was asked of him and left.

When the sound of the door closing signaled Rei's departure Tyson let out the breath he unknowingly had been holding. Carelessly the bluenette threw himself across the bed and buried his face in the pillows. What was he going to do? If Rei could find him it would only be a matter of time till Kai did. But what if the holder of Dranzer didn't care about Tyson and wasn't trying to find him?

That thought made Tyson's heart sink. As much as he didn't want Kai to find him the thought of Kai not caring enough to look for him crushed the bluenette. It pulled at his heart and made him feel like he was drowning it an ocean of frozen waters. Would Kai really not care about him?

_Why should I care? _Tyson asked himself. _He's hurt me in more ways than one, so why do I care if I matter to him or not. It must be because he was the first person I slept with. That has to be it. That's the only reason. There is no other reason for me_ _care if he cares for me or not. I mean, come on, who'd want there first time_ _to mean nothing? If Kai does care about me then that would mean my first time wasn't just hormones and anger. That has to be it._

A loud creaking sound caught Tyson's attention. Frowning he tried to place what could of made that sound when suddenly it hit him. The door. Coming to the conclusion that Rei must have been worried about him and decided to come back to check on him Tyson sighed in annoyance. "I already told you Rei, I'm fine. You can go home."

"I'm not Rei."

Instinctively Tyson turned over so his back was on the bed and gasped in horror. Standing in front him was the person he didn't want to see, Kai. The boy seemed beyond furious and Tyson inwardly flinched at the glare he was receiving from the other. "K-Kai what are you d-doing here?" Tyson mentally cursed himself for the stutter.

"I could ask you the same question, _Takao_," Kai hissed the name venomously.

Something inside Tyson snapped. Without thinking he jumped off the bed and sent Kai his own death glare. "Why the hell do you think I'm here! I'm here because of you!"

Tyson's outburst didn't faze Kai. The dual haired boy had grown used to this type of thing a long time ago. "Funny, I'm here because of you too." And without another word Kai seized Tyson's arm and proceeded to try and drag the younger boy out of the room. "It's time for you to go home."

That is when it happened. Letting his anger control him, Tyson threw the first punch, which landed firmly on Kai's cheek. Kai's head snapped back, but his hold on Tyson didn't waver for a second. "Let me go Kai!"

Growling, Kai did the only thing that he could think of, he punched Tyson back. His fist made contact with Tyson's gut and the smaller boy doubled-over in pain. Satisfied with the result Kai once again tried to pull Tyson out of the room, but was stopped by a kick to the back of his knees. Having lost his balance Kai toppled over and pulled the bluenette down with him, both hitting their heads on the hard ground.

From that point the two boys continued to fight with each other. Rage burning in their veins and a hunger to see the other in pain controlled them. There was no coherent thought passing between them, it was pure anger and frustration. Blood streamed down their faces. Fists collided with one another. Bruises decorated their bodies, and their breaths became ragged with each attack.

Tyson threw another punch at Kai, but this time he caught it, and pinned the bluenette down on the bed. Theirs breaths intermingled as they both gazed into each other's eyes with a passion of both hate and lust. Moving without a thought Kai leaned down and captured Tyson's lips with his own and ravished the boy's mouth. A moan passed between the two, and Kai slid his hand up Tyson's shirt, and right then Tyson snapped out of trance he had been in.

Guilt and shame filled Tyson. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes. How could he let this happen? _What are we doing?_

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

Akira: I bet half of you were surprised by who was at the door. Phoenixandashes and Sapphire Hiwatari get cookies for guessing it wasn't Kai behind the door. (Tosses you both a box of assorted cookies)


	6. Torn

Chapter 6

"I'm Cold and I'm Ashamed, Bound and Broken on the Floor"

_Torn_-Natalie Imbruglia

Something warm and salty touched Kai's lips. In all of the times he'd done this with Tyson he'd never tasted this foreign flavor before. Removing his hand from under the bluenette's shirt he pulled back from their once heated lip lock and gazed down at the younger boy's face. In the corner of Tyson's eyes were tears that he was obviously trying to hold back.

Stunned at the tears Kai sat up so he was still straddling Tyson's waist, but no longer towering over the teen. Guilt was eating away at him, but not because of the tears that Tyson was shedding. It was because everything that had been going on between them had become more real. All the other times they had taken their fights to the next level they let their hormones and frustrations take control, and because of this they never felt anything else, thus making it more like a bad dream that they could wake up from at any time, but now the dream was real, and there was no escaping it.

Turning his head away from the sight, Kai tried not to stare into Tyson's hurt filled eyes. Deep down he had always resented what they did, but the feeling was stronger than ever now. It felt like he was drowning in his own guilt and he didn't like it. It was suffocating.

"Kai?" Tyson inquired from below him.

Snapping his attention back to the younger boy Kai frowned when he saw Tyson visibly flinch at his sudden movement. How come he had never seen it? Tyson was scared to death of him, and while that did satisfy some primal urge in him it also angered him too. He didn't care if the bluenette hated him or was intimidated by him, but to be terrified of him was another thing completely. He'd never seen Tyson like this before and it was unsettling.

Taking a deep breath Kai tried to get his thoughts back into focus. He also hoped that by acting relaxed Tyson would relax too, but sadly the younger teen remained ridged. Making sure his voice was soft as he spoke Kai tried to get some answers out of Tyson. "Is this the reason why you ran away?"

Tyson stiffened at the question. Had Kai found him out? Was he going to hurt him? _Can he really hurt me anymore than he already has?_ Tyson thought to himself, but shook his head to rid himself of the thought. It'd probably be best if he wasn't having hostile thoughts or else it might be reflected his voice and that could trigger another fight between him and Kai. "Yes."

The room was filled with silence at the answer. Tyson looked away from Kai in shame. The dual haired teen didn't seem to notice however. He looked as if he were still processing the words. Too deep in thought he didn't see his hand move to Tyson's face until he felt Tyson's body jerk back from beneath him.

A thin trail of blood was dribbling out of Tyson's mouth and down his cheek. Floating right above the corner of the bluenette's lips was Kai's hand with blood stained fingertips from touching the red liquid. Moving slowly Kai reached out to touch the bleeding area again, this time making sure Tyson knew he meant no harm.

Gently Kai rested his fingertips on Tyson's lips and rubbed the area where the blood was coming out. A gasp of shock was uttered by Tyson but Kai ignored it and instead tried to wipe away the blood. The longer he saw Tyson covered in blood the more he disliked it.

"Kai?" The mentioned teen looked at Tyson and saw the confusion in the boy's eyes. Smirking mentally Kai pulled back from Tyson before getting off the bluenette entirely.

Tyson could only watch in shock as Kai got off him and began to organize his clothes. Was Kai really just going to leave? It couldn't be! Kai was supposed to be mad at him! Sure, he didn't mind not having sex but this was too confusing! One moment Kai was being mean and a jackass and the next Kai was being nice! Well, maybe not nice, but he wasn't treating Tyson like shit and that was something new.

"Tyson," The bluenette's attention was caught by the sound of Kai saying his name. He prayed Kai wasn't going to insult him again, or force him to go home. He wasn't ready yet. Also how was he supposed to know this was real? How could he know that Kai wasn't just faking it all? Maybe it's all a ploy to get him to come back and then everything would start all over again. "You can stay here."

Once again silence filled the room, but this time it was a little different. Those four words were too good to be true. Was Kai really going to let Tyson stay? Why? Kai had wanted he back only moments ago so why now? "WHY?" Tyson decided to voice his thoughts.

Kai looked at Tyson for a second before smirking. The bluenette could be really weird at times. One moment he wanted to stay and when he's finally told that he can and he wants a reason. Typical Tyson. "If you must know, I think this might do us some good. I won't lie to you and say that I enjoy what we've been doing. I've been just as disgusted as you have been."

"Then why did you allow us to do it?" Tyson yelled outraged. What hell did Kai mean by 'I've been just as disgusted as you have been?' If he didn't like it then he should have stopped them!

"Why didn't you Tyson?" Kai countered and Tyson winced at the comeback.

"I did try!" Tyson stated but it came out sounding weak.

Kai scoffed at the answer. "You think running away stopped anything? Look what happened when you ran away. You upset and worried everyone and in the end I still found you and if I hadn't pulled away when I did then we would have done exactly what you tried to avoid. In the end running away doesn't solve anything. You were being childish."

Tears were brimming behind Tyson's eyes. Maybe it hadn't been the best plan but he didn't see Kai doing anything. Besides, he had never dealt with something like this before. How was he supposed to know running away wouldn't help? Kai had no right to say such things to him. Balling his hands into fists Tyson tried to contain his rage. Instead of yelling at the boy he gritted his teeth and uttered two words, "Get out."

Kai looked down at Tyson and shrugged. Maybe he had been harsh but the bluenette had to realize this wasn't some game that he could decide he didn't want to play anymore and run off. This was life and you can't solve anything if you run and hide from it. Without another word he turned and left.

Hearing Kai leave the apartment Tyson grabbed one of his pillows and buried his face into it. Taking a deep breath he screamed into the pillow. Everything was so frustrating!

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.


	7. Foolish

Chapter 7

"I Keep On Running Back To You"

_Foolish_-Ashanti

Tyson sat silently on the hotel bed and stared at his bag. He had packed it hours ago, but he couldn't find the strength to return home like he had planned. It had been a week since he had seen Kai, and his gut was telling him if he didn't leave soon Kai would come to see him again, and he rather not have another conversation with the older teen. At least when he returned home there would be too many people questioning him for Kai to able to talk to him.

So what was holding him back? Tyson growled in frustration and ran his hands through his hair. He knew his family and friends would forgive him for leaving, but having to deal with their questions was exactly why he didn't want to go back. In the end it came down to the possibility that Kai might return and try to talk to him again, or he could go home and get questioned by everyone.

"This is so messed up!" Tyson shouted and buried his face into his hands with a groan. Everything he did seemed like it was wrong. He felt as if he were walking on ice and if he took the wrong step everything would fall to pieces.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

Kai was fairing no better than Tyson, but the reason for his frustration was a mystery to him. He had been like this for days now. He needed to do something, not because he was bored or anything like that. He just needed to find something that would take his mind off everything. So far all he could do was take walks around the city, but they did little to ease him.

_Perhaps I should check on Tyson._ Kai shook his head. No, seeing Tyson was the last thing he should do at this point, considering their history. If he were to see Tyson and they got in another fight Kai didn't know what he would do to the boy, but he knew it wouldn't be anything good.

Sighing Kai stopped in his tracks and stared up at the sky. What was he going to do? Ever since Tyson left his anger had grown, but when he had seen the bluenette again it had disappeared for a bit, but then it came back again. Since when had Tyson had this kind of power over him? They weren't even that close.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

"Alright! This time I will walk in there!" Tyson shouted determinedly. For the last half an hour he had been trying to get the strength to walk into the dojo, but every time he took a step close to the place he'd turn around and run away.

Taking a deep breath Tyson took a step towards his home. Then another, and another, and anoth- _Wait! What if they're mad at me and don't want me back?_

_Why wouldn't they?_

_Because I shouldn't have ran away. What if they're mad, so to punish me they won't let me come back? _

_They'll understand. _

_Yeah, after they ask a million questions. I can't lie to them! But if I don't Kai might get in trouble! I don't want him to get in trouble! He may be a bastar,d but he is still my friend!_

_Would your friend really do what he did?_

_I did it too. Neither of us tried to stop it! It's not his fault alone! It's mine too!_

_But you got the most abuse. _

_That might be true, but Kai's not the type to hold back no matter who he's fighting against, but I could never do that. If I could then maybe Kai would be the one with the most damage. _

_That's a big "If." _

Tyson shook his head. Once again he turned around and ran away from the dojo. He couldn't do it. He couldn't confront his family or friends, and what if Kai was there! He certainly wasn't ready for that. _I'll just try again later._

_Sure you will, _Tyson's mind replied back sarcastically.

Clenching his hands into fists the bluenette tried his hardest not to scream in frustration. He was now fighting with himself! What was next? Ninja rabbits?

"Tyson?"

The mentioned teen froze in his steps. Slowly he lifted his head up so he was staring in two ruby colored eyes, but something was different about them. The normal cold stare that they held was replaced with confusion, frustration, and another emotion that Tyson couldn't identify. "Kai?" Tyson asked curiously. All the fears he had been feeling vanished as he saw all the emotions hidden in Kai's eyes.

The once emotional eyes however reverted back to their usual state when Tyson said the name of their owner, thus breaking the trance they had over Tyson. All the fears and doubts the bluenette had been feeling resurfaced and Tyson took a step backwards from Kai.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

Kai felt his heart fill with relief when he first saw Tyson standing near the dojo. It looked like the bluenette was finally returning home, but when Tyson turned and ran away Kai felt himself fill with rage. There was no way he was going to let Tyson leave now. The boy clearly wanted to go home, but he just didn't have the nerve.

Running after the teen Kai stopped a few feet in front Tyson before calling the boy's name, and that's when everything seemed to stop. Their eyes met and Kai could see everything Tyson had been feeling ever since he had run away. Anger, sadness, confusion, frustration, helplessness, and self-loathing. They shined so brightly in Tyson's brown eyes that Kai couldn't believe it, but at the same time they drew him in. In all his years of knowing Tyson he had never seen this side of the boy, and it made the bluenette seem more human, and less like some brainless cheerful monkey that's high on caffeine.

The trance was broken however when he heard his name being called. Once again Kai saw the immature Tyson that he had always known. The bluenette took a step away from him and Kai glared. Tyson was not going to walk away from him.

Grabbing Tyson's wrist Kai ignored the gasp of shock from the bluenette and dragged the other teen towards the dojo. "You're not going anywhere Tyson."

A whimper escaped from Tyson. He prayed Kai wasn't going to hurt him. He didn't know why, but Kai seemed more annoyed than usual today. "I thought you said I could stay at the hotel!"

"I did," Kai responded in a bored fashion, "But from what I can tell you were planning to come back anyway."

"What makes you so sure?" The words were out of Tyson's mouth before he had time to think them over. Once he fully processed what he had said, Tyson tensed. If Kai really was as upset as he thought then there was no way he was going to get any sleep tonight.

"The fact that you're here, and you have you're bag with you." Kai answered smugly.

Tyson sighed in relief. _Okay, he has yet to show signs of wanting to start a fight, so I'm safe for now right?_


	8. Wings of a Butterfly

Sorry to everyone out there who has been waiting for an update. I would love to explain why it has taken so long for an update, but I don't want to keep you guys waiting an longer. Here is the next chapter to "Rinse it all Away".

Chapter 8

"For your soul, my love, rip out the wings of a butterfly"

_Wings of a Butterfly_ –HIM

It would be easy to say it was like a dream, but the phrase would not be enough to describe Tyson's welcome home. His heart was beating in his chest, creating a song of nervousness that sent his body into pile of anxiety. The air wrapped around his body, like a soft, haunting embrace. It was like a ghost of a loved one, surreal and terrifying.

He couldn't remember if Kai had called everyone out of the dojo, or if someone had stumbled upon Kai and him walking towards the dojo and gathered everyone, but everyone was there. His grandpa had rushed to hug him, and Tyson melted in the comforting arms. Kenny, Max, Rei, and Hilary had huddled around the two of them, saying things that Tyson couldn't make out.

They spoke greetings and asked questions. He remembered feeling safe, but a fog covered his mind. He was wrapped in a cloud of protection from the world, and it was his own creation. He answered some of their questions. "Were you kidnapped?" "How do you feel?" "How did you get here?" His answers were short, but his friends accepted them.

Tyson was unsure if he had seen correctly, but he was positive he had seen Max and Rei share a look before glancing at Kai.

Kai.

Tyson clasped his wrist with his other hand, and stared up at his bedroom ceiling. It had been only a few hours since he had been welcomed home, but the feeling of Kai's hand on his wrist was imprinted on Tyson's brain.

A bruise had formed from the tight hold, but strangely the bruise didn't make Tyson flinch like others had done. Instead, when Tyson looked upon it he remembered how he had been scared to walk forward until Kai had taken his wrist. It had hurt, but the pain was the distraction that Tyson needed to take those last steps home.

Kai may have frightened Tyson, but without Kai Tyson would have never come home.

Although, one could point out if it weren't for Kai, Tyson would have never left.

Tyson sighed dejectedly, and rolled onto his side. He was grateful to be home, but his body was on edge. With Kai looming about the house, Tyson didn't feel safe. He was no better than a wild animal in cage, ravenously craving its freedom.

They needed to talk. Maybe if they talked, he could feel safe again.

Tyson snorted. How ridiculous was this situation? Wasn't home supposed to be the one place a person could feel safe at? But because of Kai, Tyson had lost his happiness and sanctuary.

Shutting his eyes, Tyson frowned as he forced himself to sleep, but his thoughts would not leave him. If he could just will it all away. Push the thoughts down, and then maybe he could think clearly. At this rate he would go insane before things would get better.

He would talk to Kai, but what would he say? Kai had acknowledged the problem already, and they both agreed it was an issue to be dealt with, but what could they do? What if their fights had become habit? What if they couldn't stop? They had been resorting to violence so much recently it was almost like second nature.

Was it possible to be addicted to sexual abuse?

Tyson scrunched up his face, and buried it his pillow. He did not want to imagine a life like that. He knew it was possible to be addicted to sex, but abuse too? The idea left him wanting to vomit.

"This is so stupid," he mumbled into his pillow. "Lying here sulking isn't going to do me any good." But he could not find the strength to get out of his bed and talk to the source of his discomfort.

He was a foreigner in his own skin. This wasn't him. He had never backed down from a challenge. His fear had never gotten the best of him.

Rei had been right. Tyson was a different person. The situation was affecting him, as much as he hated to admit it.

There was a knock on the door.

Tyson didn't want to answer it, but he knew if he didn't whoever was on the other side of the door would panic, kick the door in, and yell at Tyson after finding the bluenette brooding on the bed. His legs felt like lead however.

He grunted, hoping the person on the other side would take the hint and understand that he was alive, but didn't want a guest.

No such luck. He heard the sliding door open, and then shut. It was barely audible, but Tyson heard the soft breathing of his visitor. He waited for them to speak, but no words came. A minute must have passed, before Tyson gave up and brushed the sound breathing off as his imagination.

The air was torn out of his lungs as a hand latched onto his shoulder and flipped him on to his back with ease. The sight of raging red sent Tyson's body into a whirl of fear and panic. His limbs locked in place, and as hard as he tried to control them, they would not move. The most control he had over his body was to dig his nails deeper into the sheets.

There was movement in his chest, but it didn't register in his brain that it was his heart. The fluttering motion in him made him try to gasp for breath, but his mouth would not open. The lack of air made the movement in his chest turn from a soft flutter to claws tearing at his insides.

It was like dying.

He didn't feel pain, but he knew he wasn't going to live if he didn't get his body to function properly. Control, however was the furthest thing in his power.

"Breathe, Tyson," Kai, his visitor, commanded. His voice wasn't comforting, but the strength in it affected Tyson's body. Tyson could feel his muscles relax, but not completely, just enough so he could take a tiny breath of air.

"You are going to have to breathe better if you plan on giving your brain some of that oxygen," Kai said coldly, but in his haze Tyson recognized the words as something else. In a weird way, Kai was trying help Tyson.

The hand on Tyson's shoulder was gone, and Kai pulled away from Tyson, giving the bluenette room to breathe as instructed.

Magically, Tyson regained his ability to take deep breaths of air, but his heart was still trying jump out of his chest. Granted, its struggles had become weak and feeble, but Tyson still felt the urge to place his hand over his heart to sooth it.

"I scared you," Kai stated.

"Anyone would have," Tyson felt obligated to say. "I thought whoever had been at my door had left. You caught me off guard."

"It wouldn't have scared you before."

Kai was looking off into space. A frown marred his features as he concentrated on his thoughts, and Tyson's curiosity was beginning to get the better of him. He wanted to ask the dual haired teen about his thoughts, but that would be unwise. Kai did not like to be interrupted when thinking.

As Kai pondered things over in his head a thought came to Tyson: Why was Kai in his room?

Kai wasn't planning on getting revenge for what Tyson had said earlier was he? They weren't going to get in another fight so soon? They were supposed to talk this out. Hadn't Kai said he hated what they had been doing too? This couldn't be happening! They couldn't be starting the abuse again, not after everything he had done to prevent it.

"You're whimpering." Kai pointed out apathetically. "You're also running your hands through your hair, as if you're losing your mind."

Tyson stopped. He hadn't noticed it, but he was sitting up in his bed, with his legs pulled up close to his chest and one of his arms wrapped around them protectively. His other hand was in his hair, paused midway in pushing his hair back.

He looked like a nervous wreck.

"Do you realize how scared you are?" Kai asked, and for once Tyson did not know how to answer.

He was scared, but Tyson hadn't thought much about it. He had been so focused on stopping everything that he had never allowed himself to feel the fear. The disgust and anger were easy for him to bear, but never the feeling of cold terror in his blood.

What he had been feeling for the last few weeks was only a fraction of the horror he felt towards Kai.

As if a blindfold had been removed, Tyson could finally see what was real. He shuddered.

"I guess this isn't a good time to tell you about the guests who will be visiting us tomorrow," Kai said, ignoring Tyson's stare.

"Huh?"

Kai sighed in aggravation. "Because of your disappearance some of your _friends_," Kai rolled the word, exaggerating it, and giving it the sound of something vile, "have been worried about you. Now that you are back, they would like to see you again."

"Oh." Tyson eyed Kai warily. The room suddenly felt too small for the two of them, and talking was no longer the thing on Tyson's mind. He was occupied with calculations for the fastest route out of the room.

He didn't have to worry about escaping however; Kai was already turning to leave. "Hn." Was the goodbye Tyson received, and while normally Tyson would be dissatisfied with such a response, he let it go.

In less than a minute every step Tyson had taken to fix things was forgotten, and he was left standing at the beginning.

X.X.X.X.X.X.

Kai faired no better than Tyson. He was so used to watching others and analyzing their moves before making his move, he was thrown off by the disorder and chaos of Tyson and his relationship. He could predict his opponent's attacks and find ways to out maneuver his competition, but when it came to this matter he had no idea what to do.

Tyson was terrified of him, and if Kai were to judge Tyson's recent behavior, the bluenette probably wouldn't last less than five minutes in room with Kai before trying to escape.

That left a problem for tomorrow. While it was normal for Kai to be antisocial during social gatherings, it would be odd if Tyson was found to be avoiding Kai.

There was nothing Kai could do in time for tomorrow. He'd just have to hope that Tyson could act somewhat casual, or else they'd both suffer.


	9. Happy Go Lucky

Chapter 9

"A Smile is a Frown Turned Upside Down"

_Happy go Lucky_- Steps

"It's so good to see you again, Man!" Michael from the U.S. beyblade team wrapped an arm around Tyson's neck in a half hug.

Tyson, who had innocently been sitting at a picnic table listening to Kenny and Hilary bicker over something pointless, tried not to stiffen from the sudden contact. He had been waiting for the arrival of his visitors, and gone through a list of who might be visiting him, but he had not guessed Michael.

"Don't strangle him," a female voice that vaguely sounded like Emily advised.

The vice grip on his throat loosened. Michael laughed bashfully. "Sorry, Emily."

"Don't say sorry to me. I'm not the one you were choking."

Emily was here too? Tyson let his gaze sweep across the field. His grandfather was off to the side with the grill and cooking something that smelled delicious. To the left of his grandfather was Max and Rei, who were whispering to each other. Kai was by himself under a tree. He looked laid back, but Tyson could see the tension in his body. Kai was staring at something behind Tyson.

Following the gaze of his teammate, Tyson held back a gulp. It wasn't just Michael and Emily, but his entire team. The limo behind them appeared to be their mode of transportation, and another limo was driving up. From that limo, Tyson could see an exuberant Lee waving through the window.

He could curse. He had thought the visitors he would be receiving would be his classmates; not his competition. As much as he liked them, he could not stand to be around them in such an emotional state.

A finger poking him the cheek, alerted Tyson to Michael, who had taken up occupancy in the seat next to him. "You okay?" Michael asked, and gave Tyson's cheek another poke. "You look a little pale."

"Michael," Emily reprimanded.

"What?" He replied defensively. "He is pale!"

Tyson forced a soft laugh through his lips, but it was utterly weak compared to his normal laughter. The White Tigers were just pulling up to the picnic and already Tyson was failing to put up a good act for his friends.

He felt light headed. His vision swam in and out, but he managed to keep his body from swaying. This was too much stress too soon. If only he had someone to help him. He needed someone or something to lean on, and take some of the stress off of him.

Michael and Emily frowned at him, but did not say anything.

Could they see his weakness? He didn't want them to see it. He wanted to appear strong like he always had. He was so used to being the optimistic one, and making others feel better, it was difficult for him to play the reverse role.

"Hey, you guys didn't start the party without us, did you?" Lee cried, as he and the other White Tiger members made their way across the field. Mariah veered away from the group, and headed towards Rei.

Tyson watched in envy as he saw Mariah jump into Rei's arms and hug him, causing Max and Rei to laugh at her antics. The three of them looked so happy and carefree. He wanted to be like that again. Could his life ever return to such bliss?

A hand waved in front of Tyson's face. He blinked.

Hilary was leaning across the picnic table. She bit her bottom lip nervously, and tried to sound teasing when she spoke, but Tyson could hear the undertone of concern. "Jeez, Tyson! Lee just asked you a question, and you ignored him."

"Oh!" Tyson mumbled, and turned his head to see where Lee had taken residence.

Lee was on the other side of him. It unnerved him to have both of his sides occupied by people, but he could not let on to his discomfort. He forced another smile onto his face. "No, Lee we did not start the party without you."

"Tyson!" Hilary and Kenny scolded in unison.

"What?" Tyson asked, taken aback by the double assault. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Tyson," Kenny drawled out his name. The little brunette's voice was laced with a pity, and Tyson's stomach sunk in apprehension. "Didn't you hear Lee ask you how you are feeling?"

Tyson could hit himself over the head. No, he had not heard Lee ask him such a thing. He didn't even recall Lee sitting next to him. His thoughts were somewhere else completely.

He felt like a failure. Why couldn't he act happy? His life could be in danger, and he could put a smile on his face then and act like the most confident fool on the planet, so why not now?

His hands clenched into fists. He let his nails dig into his palms, and cursed himself in his head. He was pathetic if he couldn't put on a façade at such a simple time as this. The one time he truly needed his happy-go-lucky attitude.

"Excuse me," Kai's voice cut in through Tyson's raging haze. Tyson looked up at Kai, who stood only a few inches away from his back. He thought Kai's comment had been aimed at him, but Kai's eyes were locked onto Michael. "I was planning to sit there, so move."

Michael opened his mouth to argue, but like a demon, Kai's eyes seemed to come to life and glow with a fiery hatred that promised pain. Visibly gulping, Michael scooted away from Tyson, giving Kai his seat.

Before Kai sat down, Tyson felt his heart flutter. He was scared, but at the same time he felt safe. Kai was one of the few people that knew what really happened. Tyson didn't have to lie around Kai, and somehow that made Kai the easiest to be around. It shoved his fear to the back of his mind.

"You're so rude, Kai," Hilary chastised, and immaturely stuck out her tongue.

"Hn."

"Amazing," Kenny hummed in fascination.

"What?" Emily asked, picking up on Kenny's interest. The brunet never spoke like that unless he had discovered something, and out of competitive spirit, Emily had to know what it was.

"Nothing," Kenny blushed and flailed his arms about, having been caught in one of his musings. "It's nothing! I swear!"

No one believed him, but no one had the strength to figure out what Kenny was hiding. Though Kai and Tyson had a good idea what it was.

Every ten seconds, Kai or Tyson would catch Kenny glancing at them. They couldn't blame him though. It was odd for the two of them to get along so peacefully. By now the two of them should be bickering, but Kai being Kai didn't say a thing, and Tyson was to caught up in his thoughts to speak.

"So the final group has a arrived," Grandpa shouted over the commotion caused by the three teams.

Tyson glanced over his shoulder, and his jaw dropped. Coming out of the third, and final limo to arrive were the Demolition Boys. What the heck were they doing here? They didn't seem like the type for a picnic.

The first to step out of the limo was Tala, and Tyson could feel his muscles freeze in place at the livid expression on Tala's face. The redhead didn't look as if he wanted to be here, nor did his companions.

Next to him, Kai shifted his weight. His demeanor was cool and collected. Not one muscle gave away Kai's thoughts, but Tyson knew Kai was prepared to attack if Tala tried something.

A wave of comfort washed over Tyson, pushing his fear for Kai further down. It was only a temporary fix, but knowing that Kai was not going to let others harm him brought back some of the confidence Tyson had lost.

Tala sauntered up to the picnic table while his teammates spread out and did as they pleased. The closer he got to the table the less malicious he appeared, as if he were remembering his manners and trying to quell his anger.

Tyson mentally gave Tala points for trying to appear nice, but it was obvious to anyone who had seen his earlier expression that Tala was in a foul mood.

Lee was the first to suffer from that mood. "Get out of my seat!" Tala snapped.

Lee scowled, but obeyed. Tyson would bet money Lee only gave up his seat because he didn't want to cause a scene. How sweet, but now Tyson was stuck between two ice princes.

"So were you kidnapped, or what?" Tala demanded, glaring holes through Tyson.

"W-what?" Tyson stuttered. He felt his body begin to shake, and tried to stop it. It wasn't until a hand gently touched his arm, did his shaking cease.

The one responsible for the comforting touch had been Kai. Thanks to the angle they were in, Kai was able to place his hand on one of Tyson's arms undetected. Tyson's body was blocking the view of the touch, and in the recesses of his mind, Tyson knew if it weren't for that, Kai would not be helping him now.

Tala sighed in exasperation. "All of us," he waved his arm to indicate the four beyblade groups at the picnic, "have been searching for you. Forgive me if you find my curiosity unjust." Tala last sentence dripped with sarcasm. "So what happened?"

"I-" Tyson paused. What was he supposed to say? He couldn't tell Tala what really happened, and he couldn't give him a half lie either. He had already told family and teammates that he hadn't been kidnapped, so he couldn't use that as an excuse.

"Lay off Tala," Kai growled, giving the redhead a warning glance. "He doesn't have to tell you anything."

Tala's face scrunched up in distaste. He reminded Tyson of a feral dog he saw when he was a little kid. Tyson hoped Kai knew what he was getting into with Tala. "Why should I 'lay off' when my teammates and I had to take time out of our busy schedule to search for the doofus here?"

"You were never forced to search for him," Kai countered coolly. "Everyone who is here had offered up their help willing, so don't act like a child who was promised a cookie and didn't get it."

The Demolition Boys had offered to search for him? Tyson felt his eyes widen. It took all of his will to not drop his jaw and stare in bewilderment at Tala and his teammates.

Tala opened his mouth to reply, but was abruptly cut off by a plate of food being shoved in his face by Tyson's grandpa. "Time to eat!" the old man announced cheerfully.

Begrudingly, Tala took the plate of food, and muttered a quiet thanks before eating the meal.

Soon everyone was eating. No one noticed the slow pace Tyson eat at; too engrossed in their own meals.

Between bites of food Tyson glanced at Tala, not believing what Kai said was true.

Everyone was oblivious to the glances Tyson gave Tala, except one: Kai.


	10. Is It Love?

Chapter 10

"Do You Feel Good When I Hurt?"

_Is It Love-_ Pink

**Previously**

_Between bites of food Tyson glanced at Tala, not believing what Kai said was true._

Everyone was oblivious to the glances Tyson gave Tala, except one: Kai. 

* * *

Tyson was exhausted. He didn't even have the strength to throw his body onto his bed and bury his face into the pillows. It took the last of his energy to drag his feet across the ground fall onto his bed face first.

The day had been an emotional rollercoaster ride. After Tala had questioned him about what happened, others began to too, and for some reason Kai was no longer helping him.

After finishing his plate of food, Kai had walked off and abandoned Tyson. Not even the imploring looks he sent Kai got the older boy's attention. It was almost as if Kai were mad at him, which could be a possibility, but why? It wasn't hard for Tyson to annoy Kai, but from what Tyson could remember he had done nothing to justify being ignored.

Stupid Kai. If they ever wanted to fix their problem communication would be key. Too bad communication was their weak point. Kai barely talked, and Tyson was too busy pouring his heart out to listen to what others had to say.

"Tyson," came Kai's voice. The sound of the door sliding across the floor let Tyson know that Kai had invited himself in. Normally Tyson would complain, but he was too tired, and probably would have told Kai to let himself in anyway.

The door clicked back into place, and Tyson's shoulders tensed. He was fine being in the room with Kai if the door was left open, but his heart raced at the thought of the door being closed. If the door was open then there would be a less likely chance of certain events repeating.

"Tyson," Kai growled out the name, reminding Tyson of how Kai had sounded when he warned Tala to stop asking questions. It sent a trickle of fear down his spine.

"Look at me," Kai commanded.

"Can't," Tyson groaned in pain. He winced. He knew Kai was giving him the most venomous look he could muster, and with those red eyes of his, it was probably heart stopping.

"My body is exhausted," Tyson whined, attempting to calm Kai by letting him know he wasn't defying Kai because he wanted to, but because his body was sore.

There was no response from Kai, making Tyson more nervous then he was already. His body was starting to pump adrenaline into his system, making him more alert to his surroundings. A cold sheet of sweat was beginning to cover his body. More of his muscle constricted as he waited for Kai to make his move.

The mattress lowered on one side of the bed. Turning his head to the side, Tyson saw Kai sitting on the bed, glaring heatedly down at him. His body shivered. He was in trouble now.

"Tyson," Kai began bitterly, cutting down Tyson's already miniscule confidence to nothing. "Why were you staring at Tala?"

"What? What are you talking about, Kai?" This is what Tyson wanted to say, but his throat had gone dry, and his mind had all but left him. He was paralyzed with fright.

"I wasn't," Tyson tried to say, but was cut off by punch to his pillow.

The glare Kai had given him before was nothing compared to the accusing look of hatred he was pinning Tyson with now. The fire in Kai's eyes left Tyson feeling scorched. His lungs pleaded with his brain to let them scream their fright, but Tyson's brain refused and kept his mouth shut.

"I saw you glancing at him," Kai hissed.

"So?" It was stupid to say, but it was the only thing Tyson could think of. His casual glancing had seemed harmless to him. He couldn't understand why glancing at Tala upset Kai so much. Unless… "Are you jealous?"

For the briefest of seconds, Kai looked taken aback, and Tyson felt as if he had conquered his worst nightmare, but the sizzling hatred on Kai's features returned full force. "And what if I was?"

"If you like Tala so much, you should ask him out. Don't worry, I have no interest in him."

"You're so stupid!" Kai yelled. He pounced on Tyson. He forced Tyson to turn onto his back and hit Tyson square on the cheek, causing Tyson's head to snap to the side.

With his adrenaline kicking in, Tyson let out a feral growl and punched Kai back, and kicked the older teen in a stomach. Kai's body hunched up after the kick, but he managed to keep his position on top of Tyson. The punch however, had hit him in jaw, knocking his head back.

Tyson used this time to try and crawl out from under Kai, but Kai would not have that. He grabbed Tyson by the shoulders, and forced the smaller boy to stay in his place. In retaliation, Tyson spat in Kai's face.

The spit rolled down Kai's cheek, and in the heat of the moment, Kai lifted Tyson up by his shoulders, before viciously throwing Tyson's upper body down. The move would have cracked Tyson's skull if they had been fighting on a hard surface, but the bed cushioned the fall, so Tyson would only have a headache.

Because his shoulders were being held down by Kai, Tyson couldn't hit the older boy with a right hook like he wanted, but he was still capable to use his lower arm to jab Kai in the stomach. He gladly jabbed Kai, and inwardly smirked at the brief shock that filled Kai's face.

He regretted his jab later when Kai decided to take revenge by biting Tyson on the junction where the neck and collarbone met until it bled.

Things began getting fuzzy right then. Tyson could smell and feel the blood drip down his body. It made him lash out at Kai, but he couldn't focus on what he was doing. His body was falling into its pattern, and Kai's seemed to be doing the same. It wasn't long before the their shirts were removed and punches and kisses became one.

His mind shouted in disgust and regret, but another part of him mewled with happiness and contentment. It was especially happy when Kai began paying special attention to the wound he had created on Tyson's neck. Tyson enjoyed the feeling of Kai licking away the blood from his wound and then moving to lick away the blood that had fallen on Tyson's chest.

Unconsciously, Tyson had wrapped on hand in Kai's hair and was pressing himself against the dual haired teen. His other hand lay on Kai's stomach rubbing the bruised area.

The haze of anger and frustration was slowly evaporating from Tyson and being replaced with an eerie calm. It was rare, but this was one of the few times when the sex would not be violent, but the process of getting there would be violent.

If only the violence could stop completely.

Tyson closed his eyes, and tried to picture this kind of relationship with Kai without violence. His heart fell when he could not see the image he longed for. He let out a pained sigh, causing Kai to look up from his ministrations into Tyson's eyes.

It may have been his imagination, but Tyson swore he saw understanding in Kai's eyes, and his heart skipped a beat. It wasn't like when Kai came near him and his heart fluttered with fright. It was warm and welcoming feeling filled with hope. He had never felt anything like it.

"Hey, I heard fighting," Grandpa's voice bellowed from down the hall. "Are you two okay?"

Tyson flushed, and Kai stared at the door waiting to see if it would open. Quickly, Tyson stuttered out a response, "Yeah. Don't worry. It's no big deal."

"Alright." Tyson's grandpa called back.

There was a minute of silence while Kai and Tyson waited with baited breath to see if Grandpa would come back. When the old geezer didn't return the two let out a sigh of relief.

"That was close," Tyson murmured. He could still feel his heart racing with anticipation. It was almost exciting to get caught with Kai in such a compromising position. It made his body thrum, and while he never would want to be caught doing the dirty deed the sense of danger made him want to risk being caught with Kai again.

"Hn." Kai grunted, and pulled himself out of Tyson's hold.

"Kai?" Tyson questioned. Why was Kai pulling away from him? Weren't they going to… Tyson gulped at his unfinished thought.

"Our goal is to break this habit of ours isn't it?" Kai asked.

The spark of happiness that had filled Tyson briefly faded away into nothingness. It didn't make sense. He hated what he and Kai did, but a part of him was yearning to be closer to Kai at the moment. That part of him didn't want the sex, but it wanted something else; comfort.

Tyson craved physical comfort and the only person who could give it to him was the one person he couldn't accept it from. Why was life so confusing?

* * *

For anyone who is confused about that last line, it's a refrence from the last chapter. In the last chapter, Tyson realized while he felt fear around Kai he also felt more comfortable around Kai, because Kai is the only other person who really knows what happened between them. Sorry if that confused anyone. 


	11. Don't Lie

Chapter 11

"And I lie until I don't know who I am"

_Don't Lie-_ The Black Eyed Peas

Another day, another annoyance. It had been week since the stupid picnic and Tyson and Kai's tussle, but Rei and Max were still acting as if Kai were about to attack Tyson. Kai understood where they're concern came from, but couldn't they be a little less obvious with their constant watching?

After learning about the fight between Tyson and him from Grandpa, Max and Rei switched off on stalking Kai. Right now, Rei was the one who was trying to discreetly follow him, but the neko-jin was failing miserably.

Wouldn't it be smarter to guard Tyson by staying near Tyson? Honestly, Rei and Max were hopeless. If Kai managed to slip out of their sight (which he could whenever he so chose) then who would be there to protect Tyson? Originally, Kai had thought Rei and Max were watching him and Tyson, but that idea was thrown out the window when Kai found Rei taking nap during one of Max's watch hours.

So now he was stuck with two busybodies tailing him everywhere, including the bathroom! Granted they didn't enter the bathroom with him, but they stayed close to the door. How did Kai know this? Because he always heard their feet scuttling away from the door after he finished his business.

Prisoners had more privacy than him.

Today was going to be different. He was tired and cranky, and would not stand for anymore of this stalking! He had a plan formulated perfectly in his head. The first step was getting him and his current follower outside, and away from where others could hear them, which he was doing at the moment.

He was outside of the dojo, trying to find a place far away from the building, but close enough so as not to alert his stalker to his plans. There was a tall tree that could provide shade and was about the correct distance away from the dojo. Kai chose that as the spot to confront his stalker.

As he headed for the tree he could hear the soft footsteps following him, and smirked inside. This was too easy. Did Rei really think he hadn't noticed what Max and him had been doing? The neko-jin would soon learn his lesson.

It wasn't until under the tree did Kai spin on his heel and glare. His stalker wouldn't have enough to run and hide.

His gaze locked onto the dumbstruck form of Rei. The Neko-jin was frozen in place. He wasn't breathing. The only sign of life in him was his moving eyes, which were desperately trying to find something to look at that wasn't Kai.

Kai let his eyes narrow; knowing what affect it would have on his teammate.

Rei didn't disappoint. The narrowed look caused him to twitch nervously and bow his head in shame. He silently admitted his defeat.

"Are you going to tell me why Max and you have been following me this last week?" Kai demanded even though he knew the answer. He wanted to hear Rei confess what Max and him had been doing. Then Kai would rub the disgraceful deed in Rei's face, and make the neko-jin regret ever spying on him.

"I think you know why I was following you," Rei spoke with a confidence Kai knew the neko-jin didn't possess. Rei's ability to feign calm and confidence was a trait Kai normally admired, but it was a disturbance now. He would make Rei drop his façade.

"I could assume many things, Kon. I suggest you tell me why, before things get complicated." Rei showed no sign of hearing the hidden threat in Kai's tone, but Kai knew Rei was aware of what he meant. Rei was too smart not too.

"I don't want Tyson to run away again, and neither does Max." Rei clenched his fists, and aimed a dirty look at the ground. The show of anger made Kai raise a brow in curiosity. Rei was clearly holding back. His words were laced with a secret passion that was aimed at Kai. This passion was indisputable loathing.

Scoffing, Kai feigned ignorance. "I don't see what Tyson's departure has to do with me."

"Don't lie, Kai!" Rei practically hissed. The loathing Rei was trying hide was seeping out; Kai wouldn't be surprised Rei tried to punch him. "You know that Tyson ran away because of you!"

Kai's sadistic side hummed with glee. Manipulating Rei's emotions was becoming a game; a game where Kai controlled the outcome. "Why would Tyson leave because of me?"

"Don't act like you don't know," Rei spat, fighting back a scowl. It must have been hard for Rei to try to hold on to his mask of composure while wanting to shout at the top of his lungs. It almost made Kai want to take pity on him, almost being the key word.

"Obviously I don't," Kai muttered, letting a hint of anger slip into his voice. "You seem to know everything that is going on, which must mean you are involved in Tyson's departure, not me."

"What?" Rei gasped.

Kai let his smirk show on his face. "Listen, Kon. The only people who know why Tyson ran away are Tyson and whoever is involved. Whatever someone has told you could be a complete lie, or if you're lucky, possibly a half-truth. So may I suggest you and Max stay out of affairs that are not yours."

Rei's jaw went slack. He stared wide-eyed at Kai in disbelief and shock. His body had gone numb from the shock. Not even the bubbling rage in his stomach at the superior look Kai gave him was enough to make him move. He couldn't even reach out a hand when Kai walked passed him.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

"You told Max didn't you?"

Kai watched with mixed feelings as Tyson tensed at his voice. Once again he had entered the bluenette's room without permission; it was slowly becoming a habit.

A part of him was satisfied to see such a reaction from Tyson, but another part ached at it. It was the same part of him that had raged with jealous at seeing Tyson staring at Tala. It was also the part that had been taken aback when Tyson questioned him about his jealousy, and the part that had fallen with despair when Tyson thought Kai had feelings for Tala.

Kai had always thought of himself as level-headed, but his dual feelings were beginning to wreck havoc on his mind.

"I didn't tell him everything," Tyson mumbled shyly. His hand ran nervously over his desk where he was located. He couldn't look Kai in the eye, and the same part in Kai that ached glowed with shame.

It took a small portion of Kai's will power to hide the emotions from Tyson, but he wondered what would happen if he didn't.

Kai mentally scolded himself. Now was not the time for such thoughts. "What did you tell him?"

"We fight, and it gets violent." Tyson answered weakly.

Kai sighed. "Good. Better that than the truth."


	12. Keep Me Away

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"They'll Never Realize How You Set My Spirit Free"

_Keep Me Away-_ Nobody's Angel

Kai wanted to kill someone. A certain someone in particular with golden eyes, black hair, and cat like features. It wouldn't hurt to kill a certain fat, old man too, since this was as much his fault too.

Tyson and Kai were being forced into counseling.

"Why did you have to upset Rei?" Tyson hissed under his breath as the two of them waited in the starch white waiting room. A pin could be dropped on the ground and everyone would know about it. It wasn't an exaggeration either. One of the other people waiting to see a counselor had dropped a pin earlier and Kai had heard it.

Knowing this, Kai still tried to keep his voice low as he whispered back, "I did no such thing." It was a lie, but Kai would not take the blame for what was supposed to be Rei's fault.

Tyson rolled his eyes heavenward. "Stop being a stuck-up prick. You know you upset Rei. If you hadn't he wouldn't have suggested counseling to Mr. Dickson for us!" Tyson punctuated his sentence by digging his nails into Kai's hand.

Kai bit the inside of his cheek and tried not to curse and smack Tyson. He was not going to let Tyson get away with such impudence. Kai used the same hand that was being punished and returned the favor.

From an outsiders point of view it looked as if the two were tightly holding each other's hands like close friends or lovers would do to comfort each other. It would take further inspection to see the nails digging into the skin and threatening to spill blood if either one squeezed harder.

"Kai? Tyson?"

The two looked up expectantly at the person who called their names. A middle-aged man was standing next to the receptionist desk with a folder in his hands. He gazed at the papers inside intently before looking up.

"Would you two be Tyson and Kai?" The man asked and pointed at the two of them.

Kai already didn't like this man. Why did that man have a folder when Tyson and him had never seen a counselor before in their lives? Had Mr. Dickson given the man information on the two of them, and if so what kind of information? Kai wouldn't trust this man until he knew exactly what was going on.

While Kai gave the man a scowl, Tyson put on a big smile for their counselor and nodded his head.

Of course Tyson was going to act friendly. Tyson always had to act friendly towards new people unless they did something to wrong him or a friend of his. Why couldn't Tyson for once in his life not greet strangers with a smile? Tyson had enough friends and did not need to act like he needed or wanted more.

"I'm Mr. Tayoru," the man greeted, and turned his back on the two. "Please follow me to the room where you will be being counseled."

_Make me!_ Kai's mind childishly replied but he stood up and followed Mr. Tayoru anyway. He wasn't going to let Tyson go in there and start complaining about him without getting a chance to defend himself. Oh yes, Kai had no doubt in his mind that Tyson was going to tell Mr. Tayoru every bad thing Kai had ever done to him.

As the two of them entered the room Mr. Tayoru led them to Kai surveyed the place. It was a small room with three chairs and a couch. Two of the chairs and the couch matched while the third chair was a computer chair. In the corner of the room was a small table with toys for children to play with. The room gave off a homey feeling but Kai didn't believe it for a moment.

"Please take a seat," Mr. Tayoru offered as he took a seat in the computer chair.

Kai followed Tyson's lead and sat on the couch with the bluenette. Tyson's side pressed into his, and a protective instinct overwhelmed Kai. After what had happened between him and Tyson the bluenette avoided contact with him unless afraid. If Tyson was scared then Kai distrusted this Mr. Tayoru more.

The counselor cleared his throat and flipped open his folder again. His eyes skimmed the page before locking onto the two of them. "My file says you two are here because of an abusive relationship."

Kai could feel Tyson's body heat up in embarrassment at Mr. Tayoru's choice of words. Admittedly, Kai had been thrown off by the term "relationship" too, but not as badly as Tyson.

"Strange," the man whispered and studied the two teens as if they were a two-headed monster. It was annoying and extremely rude in Kai's opinion. "It's hard to believe with the way you two are sitting so closely to each other." Mr. Tayoru said pointedly.

Kai glared. So what if Tyson and him were sitting close together? Tyson wanted his comfort, and on a personal level, Kai did not want Mr. Tayoru near Tyson.

To his side, Kai felt Tyson press closer to him. The movement made Kai's glare evolve into a death glare, which left most people quivering in fear. This man was making Tyson more than nervous. If he said one more thing to scare Tyson Kai would personally punch this guy in the face.

Taking the hint, Mr. Tayoru did not say anything else about their closeness and wrote something down in the folder. After finishing what he wrote he brought his focus back on the two, and pointed the pen he had been writing with at Kai. "Guessing by your posture, I assume you are Kai?"

"Yes," Kai, answered letting his dislike lace his voice.

Mr. Tayoru nodded. "So you would be the one doing the abusing?"

"What?" Kai and Tyson cried in unison.

"How can you say that!" Tyson screamed. Unconsciously his hand reached out for Kai's arm and held on to it. It was that very touch that told Kai to stop waiting and to beat some sense into this quack, but it was also the only thing holding him back from doing so.

Tyson held onto him possessively. "You're supposed to be a counselor, right? In other words you're supposed to listen to us and help us, not jump to your own conclusions about us!"

"Now, now, Tyson," Mr. Tayoru waved Tyson off. "I know you are the victim of the abuse but you should know that in this office you are safe and do not have to defend Kai. It's natural for abuse victims to try and defend the one's hurting them, but-"

Tyson launched out of his seat, pulling Kai up with him. Both of his arms were now wrapped firm around Kai's arm in a possessive and protective hug. Tyson wore a look that could rival Kai's death glare and spoke venomously. "Kai and I may have some problems but don't ever think it is a simple case of abuse where one person is getting hurt! You have no idea what you are talking about! You only know what some other person has told you!"

"Calm down-" Mr. Tayoru attempted to speak, but Tyson cut him off.

"I am not going to calm down! As far as I am concerned! This session is over!" Tyson screamed, his lungs burning from the effort. He didn't bother catching his breath as he pulled Kai out the door.

Mr. Tayoru's pleas for them to come back went ignored.

When they reached the waiting room its occupants were watching them with curiosity shining in their eyes, but Kai and Tyson did not answer their silent questions. They didn't even pause as the receptionist tried to call them back.

They were outside within a matter of seconds.

The sun shone brightly down upon them, but Kai paid it no mind. He had the sudden urge to kiss Tyson, which he happily did.

Kai had pinned Tyson to the wall of the building and was kissing him senseless. Tyson eagerly returned the favor with just as much passion.

Everything was hot and hazy, but it felt wonderful. It was better than any kiss or touch previously between them. Their bodies cried out for another in a desperate need to know that the other was there and was not going to abandon them.

Sweeter than any forbidden fruit, the two clung to each other and deepened their already maddening kiss. It was prefect. There was so much passion, and it wasn't coming from anger, but from a beautiful spring of emotion that neither had known existed between the two.

If only they didn't need air to live.

Reluctantly the two pulled away from each other. Their breathes mingled as they stared into each other's eyes.

The moment would have been prefect if not for the sound of a click.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

**Author's Note**: Okay, some or a lot of you guys are probably going "Wait! That's it! After all of these months this is all you're going to give us?" Yes. I think you guys are awesome and I would love to give you more but cutting the chapter off here makes the story flow better. Also, I will be updating soon. I don't know how soon is soon, but it will be less than a month.


	13. U and UR Hand

Chapter 13

"I'm Not Here For Your Entertainment"

_U and UR Hand_- Pink

Tyson tried to not wince at the resounding smack of the newspaper as it hit Mr. Dickinson's large, wooden desk. The old man was frowning down at Kai and Tyson, but he wasn't angry. His eyes were dim with disappointment and pity. It made Tyson want to hang his head in shame.

Kai, from his seat next to Tyson, reached out for the newspaper and lifted it up just enough so they could see the headline.

Tyson knew what was going to be on the cover but no amount of knowledge could prepare him for the sight. Plastered on the front page of a prestigious newspaper was a picture of Kai pressing him against a building with their mouths connected in a heated kiss.

How stupid could they have been? It wasn't abnormal for Tyson to get caught up in the heat of the moment, but Kai was a different story. Why hadn't one of them thought about the paparazzi? They were two of the most famous beybladers in the world, and they forgot about the paparazzi? They deserved to have their picture taken for such an armature mistake, or so they felt.

Kai did not appear fazed by the picture, or the headline claiming Kai and Tyson as a couple. It made Tyson envious. He would give anything to act so calm in situations such as these.

"I read the newspaper daily, Mr. Dickinson," Kai spoke smoothly like a businessman. "I am aware of the picture and what is being said about the _relationship_," he made a disgusted face at the word, "between Tyson and I. It is almost sad how trashy news like this ended up in a newspaper. I would expect an article like this in a teen magazine."

"This isn't simply about any relationship between you two." Mr. Dickinson sighed and rubbed his hands together nervously. "I am disappointed that you two didn't tell anyone about it," he gave the two of them a pointed stare, "but that has nothing to do with this. The two of you are famous and any relationship you two pursue would lead to hundreds of articles about it, but because you two are not only dating, and each other at that, but because you are both male it has become a bigger topic than predicted."

"Your point?" Kai asked, trying to cut to the chase. Tyson nodded in agreement. He had an idea of what Mr. Dickinson was trying to say, but he couldn't be sure.

Mr. Dickinson's hands paused in their nervous movement. The old man's face became pale and Tyson thought he detected a bead of sweat running down the man's face. "Your relationship is so controversial that I am afraid you two may never have a moment of peace. From now on you two have to be on your best behavior."

"Does that mean we can cancel any counseling sessions we have in the future?" Tyson asked hopefully. He did not want to go through what happened the other day again.

"As much as I hate to do so," Mr. Dickinson's posture seemed to deflate as he admitted defeat. "I think that would be best. Counselors may not be allowed to give out information on their clients, but anyone, if given the proper incentive, will break such an agreement."

Little birds chirped happily in Tyson's head. Suddenly the world felt brighter and warmer, and Tyson would bet money if he were to look out the window there would be cute little happy bunnies outside. The world was a prefect and happy place.

"However," Mr. Dickinson's voice cut through Tyson's happy bubble. "I may not know what is going on between you two but if I feel the dire need to, I will place you two back in counseling."

From the corner of his eye Tyson caught a smirk on Kai's face. He knew what that smirk meant. Kai found it amusing that Mr. Dickinson was trying to sound threatening, and Tyson couldn't blame him. Mr. Dickinson didn't exactly scream threatening. Soup was more dangerous than him.

"Do you two understand?"

Tyson looked at Kai, and Kai looked at Tyson. Briefly, they held a silent agreement with each other before turning their attention back to Mr. Dickinson. Tyson was the one to answer for them, "We'll try."

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

Sorry for the wait. At least I did keep my promise of updating within a month. I had hoped to update this fic a week ago but school got in the way. I'm also sorry this chapter is really short but the next is longer if I remember correctly.


	14. Rumors

Chapter 14

"I'm sick of being followed. I'm tired of people lying, saying what they want about me"

_Rumors_- Lindsay Lohan

"This is insane!" Max cried as he slammed the dojo door shut, putting a barrier between the flashing lights of cameras, microphones, and reporters and their victims. The two victims of the mass media were none other than Kai and Tyson.

The bluenette had fallen on his knees and clutching his heart as he tried to catch his breath. Kai was able to stand on his feet, but his messy hair and the sweat drenching his body gave away his exhaustion.

Rei, Max, Tyson, and Kai (against his will) had planned to spend the day together to relax. The next tournament wasn't for a long time, and it had been a while since the four of them had spent time together outside of the dojo and they thought it would be a good idea to go out together. How wrong they had been.

Reporters and paparazzi were everywhere! They hadn't stepped two feet out of the dojo before the first flash went off.

Kai had been the one to suggest they end their attempt at having a fun day out on the town right then and there, but Max and Tyson had insisted while Rei remained neutral. At first it was only a few flashes, but within five minutes there were more cameras and reporters. It wasn't until they were completely surround by reporters that the four make a break for it.

Tyson was beginning to see why celebrities eventually went crazy. Who wouldn't go crazy with fifty flashing lights in your eyes?

But that wasn't the half of it. The four of them had tried to go back to the dojo to hide, but the paparazzi were waiting for them. It had been quick thinking on Kai's part that had helped them escape that situation. For the next five hours they had run everywhere around the town, trying to lose their pursuers, or at least leading them away from the dojo.

After those five long grueling hours of never ending running, the dojo was free of paparazzi, and the four of them managed to get into it. If only the paparazzi that had been following them would leave now.

"There has got to be a law against stalking minors!" Tyson cried, letting his body fall face first to floor. He was used to being in the spotlight, but not this much. How did Britney Spears do it? Just thinking about those horrible blinding lights made his head dizzy. He had a new respect for celebrities now.

"They don't care about the law," Kai huffed, casting a glare at the door, knowing full well what lay behind it. "All those idiots care about is getting a picture or a story, and they'll get it if it kills them."

"I can't believe your relationship is receiving this much press." Rei shook his head in bewilderment. "I can understand some paparazzi following you but not this much."

"I agree," Max threw in his two cents as the sound of a body hitting against the other side of the door made him flinch. Tyson's stomach sunk at the sight. He hated seeing his friends being affected by the supposed romance between him and Kai. "This is crazy!" Max cried as a body slammed against the other side of the door again.

Sighing in what Tyson recognized as a combination of annoyance and frustration, Kai straightened his slouched posture and wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead before walking away from the group. It was a silent sign to follow, one Tyson recognized instantly, and he complied to it.

Rei and Max were not as quick to pick up on the silent command but as Tyson followed Kai into another room, he heard the soft shuffle of footsteps behind him.

Inside the room was a small TV. Kai didn't waste any time in walking up to it and turning the machine on. As Rei and Max entered the room, Kai began surfing through the channels frowning as he did so.

What was Kai doing? Tyson's curiosity made him move closer to Kai until he was standing in front of the TV with Kai. Was Kai trying to find something to watch? Perhaps a movie to take their mind off the reporters outside, but that was very un-Kai like. Rei would be the one more likely to try and distract everyone.

Kai was blunt and didn't like to hide facts. Whatever he was doing it was not going to sugarcoat the problem they were facing. If anything, Kai was about to reveal how dire the situation truly was. Of course this was all speculation on Tyson's part, but a part of his brain was nagging at him and telling him this was Kai's plan.

Kai stopped pressing the channel button and moved away from the TV so everyone in the room could see the screen.

Tyson's suspicions were confirmed.

Plastered on the screen was the same picture that had been on the newspaper Mr. Dickinson had shown them. The picture zoomed out of the frame, and a middle aged female reporter's face was revealed. Next to her were two boxes with other people in them.

_"The relationship between Tyson and Kai has raised a voice to many concerns."_ The woman spoke with an air of knowledge and elegance, prefect for someone of her station. _"People are aghast with the notion that two of the best beybladers in the world are homosexuals. These two are idolized by so many young teens and children parents are worried their children may start leaning towards homosexual tendencies in an attempt to mimic the behavior of their idols. Your thoughts on the matter, George?"_

Tyson felt his jaw dropped. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

_"It is understandable that some adults may be concerned about their children,"_ the man in the bottom right hand corner of the screen started, _"but their accusations are created by a sense of fear and lack of understanding. Yes, there may be children out there that will mimic the actions of these two, but that does not make it wrong. And ultimately, most young teens are already going through sexual confusion, and seeing their idols being open about their sexual preferences will hopefully help the children feel less pressure and confusion. Hopefully, they will be able to pursue a relationship without any stress over whether the person they are dating are of the same sex or not."_

_"And what about you Sara?"_ The woman reporter from earlier asked the woman in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

_"It's disgusting!"_ Tyson winced at the comment. He knew Kai and him weren't really dating, but the venom in her voice hurt nonetheless. _"It doesn't matter if children are already going through sexual confusion or not! If they are exposed to homosexual ways they will be more likely to become homosexual! It is a vile thing!_"

_"You have no idea what you are talking about!"_

A fight between George and Sara broke out, but Tyson couldn't listen. His body had lost all feeling. He had been experiencing guilt a lot lately but nothing like this. He hadn't meant for things to get out of control like this. If Kai and him were really dating then he could have stood up proud against the insults, but as it stood, he felt tiny and weak.

"That's only one reason why the paparazzi are after us," Kai said, and started changing the channel. On the new channel stood a beautiful woman who couldn't be older than her late twenties. Unlike with the other news reporter, she stood in a fancy news studio with TVs and magazines littering the wall behind her.

"And now for our top story!" She cried excitedly, and again that picture of Tyson and Kai was on the screen. "TyKa! It's taking the world by storm. You can't walk by a news stand without seeing something written about the happy couple!"

"TyKa?" Tyson heard Max question behind him. "That's what they are calling you guys? Even 'TomKat' sounds better."

Rei 'shh'ed Max.

"An article from _Hito_ magazine states the happy couple has been together for years," The reporter squealed. "It says the two have been keeping a low profile to avoid controversy. The reason why the two have suddenly revealed their love life to the world is because the two are planning to move in together and become life partners."

"What!" Tyson shrieked! "I'm still a teen! We're minors! How can we be life partners!"

"That's only the beginning of it." Kai turned the TV off. "There have been articles publishing stories about the 'secret love life' we had. There was even one about the night when we finally slept together."

Tyson wanted scream! He wanted to pull his hair out and slam his head against a brick wall. He wanted to grab his sword and beat up the paparazzi outside his house.

How dare they! They were making up stories about his life! Not just his life, but Kai's too! They had no right! His life was his, not the public's!

X.X.X.X.X.X.

Hi guys. After thinking about it I have decided to throw in an interlude to give you, the readers, more insight on what is going on with Rei and Max. You guys didn't really get to see their full reactions to the situation that is unfolding so that is why I am making an interlude. It should be up in a few days.


	15. Interlude

Interlude

"If you need to crash then crash and burn, you're not alone"

-_Crash and Burn_ Savage Garden

Max collapsed on the ground with a sigh of exhaustion. It was about time for him to go to sleep but his thoughts would not stop racing about the events that had happened in the last few days. He had tried to rid himself of these thoughts by running a few laps around the dojo but no matter how long or far he ran he could not stop thinking about Kai and Tyson. Something wasn't right about them.

At this thought a flash of light went off in the corner of Max's vision. Sighing in annoyance, Max closed his eyes and tried to ignore the flashes from the cameras of the paparazzi surrounding the dojo.

Max was thankful that he wasn't their true target or there would be so many flashing blubs that he would go blind. He didn't know how Tyson and Kai were going to handle it.

Letting the cool night air brush across him, Max took a deep breath to calm himself. This was too much too fast.

What was really going on between Tyson and Kai? Were they really a couple? It didn't seem like it but then what was that kiss? Was it just something that happened in the heat of the moment or was it something more? It didn't make sense! Tyson had left because Kai and him were constantly fighting –physically fighting. Had that been a lie?

Was the truth that Kai and Tyson had been having a lover's quarrel?

Max frowned and sat up, once again ignoring the flashes of the cameras. A part of him knew Tyson wouldn't lie about Kai and him beating each other, but then why had Tyson and Kai kissed? Something didn't add up.

Standing up, Max ignored the paparazzi as they continued to take pictures of him and opened the dojo door. As quickly as his body would allow, he slid into the dojo and closed the door behind him.

He wasn't expecting to be greeted by the sight of Rei walking by, biting on his lower lip in worry.

Mere inches away from Max was Rei, who upon seeing Max looked startled. Max could only assume that he had managed to catch Rei during one of his pondering sessions, allowing him to catch his cat-like friend off guard.

Rei didn 't look to be fairing much better than Max. Rei had taken off his red headband to reveal worry lines on his forehead and his clothes were soaked with sweat as if he had just run a marathon. Apparently Max wasn't the only one who liked to run a few laps to clear his mind.

"You okay?" Max asked his teammate. He was pretty sure Rei was fine but with the paparazzi right outside Max felt like double-checking. The media was known for being vicious, both physically and verbally, and the last thing Max wanted was to find out that Rei had gotten hurt trying to escape the paparazzi.

Luckily Rei nodded and said, "Yeah. I'm just concerned about Kai and Tyson. Something-"

"Doesn't add up?" Max finished and nodded his head in agreement. So he wasn't the only to feel as if things were off. "Something is definitely being kept a secret from us. I'd hate to think Tyson lied to us about Kai and him getting into fights but that kiss is beginning to make me doubt Tyson's word."

Rei sighed and let himself lean against a nearby wall. He understood Max's concern and held the same worry but he couldn't believe that Tyson would lie to them about Kai and him physically abusing each other. "If Tyson did lie to us he must have had a good reason. I have no idea what that reason may be but I hope Tyson knows what he is doing."

"Me too," Max admitted sadly. He really did not want to think about Tyson lying to him but with everything so messed up as it was he didn't dare add more stress to Tyson's life by confronting Tyson about his possible lie.

"So what are we going to do?" Max asked with a sigh of defeat.

"Nothing," Rei answered. "Right now is not the time to confront Tyson or Kai about their relationship. They will tell us when they are ready. Until then we just have to be there for them. "

Max didn't like that answer. He wanted to be there for his friends but he couldn't put his whole heart into doing so if he couldn't trust his friends. As much as he understood the reasoning behind what Rei had said he felt like something was wrong.

"I don't like this, " Max mumbled under his breath, admitting his feelings out loud but feeling guilty for doing so. It was Tyson and Kai's lives that they were talking about, not his; he should push his own feelings aside and think about what is best for Kai and Tyson. So why couldn't he do this?

Rei smiled bitterly at Max. "I know. I don't like it either, but it's for the best."

Max felt his heart clench in his chest. Somehow he couldn't believe Rei.

X.X.X.X.X.X.

Sorry if you wanted something longer but Rei and Max are not the main characters so I felt that I shouldn't focus so much on them.


	16. Welcome

Chapter 15

"Shot Down! Pushed Down! Made a Smile When I Wanted to Frown"

_Welcome_- Christina Aguilera

Tyson couldn't sleep. He tossed, he turned, and he even got out of bed and ran around his room until he was out of breath, but his mind would not give away to the sweet bliss of sleep. His muscles ached for rest, which he couldn't give them, not in his current state of mind.

It felt like the world had him under a giant microscope. Every move he made was interpreted into something it wasn't. The evidence of that was his heated kiss with Kai at the counselor's office. It had been completely impulse for the two of them to kiss and now everyone thought they were in love.

Scratch that. Everyone thought he and Kai had been having a secret love affair since the day they met, snuck to Hawaii where they lost their virginities to each other, and now they were planning on getting married. Oh yeah, and somewhere in all of those stupid magazines someone had said they were expecting a child!

Didn't making a child require some female body parts?

Groaning, Tyson grabbed his pillow and covered his face with it. This was insane! The only good thing that came out of this mess was the lack of fighting between him and Kai. With everyone watching their every move they knew better than to get into one of their fights.

It might have been Tyson's imagination, but he swore if anything Kai and him were getting closer. They were both stressed and felt like hunting down the guy who had taken that picture of them kissing, but it brought a strange sense of companionship with it.

They were both victims of the media and found comfort and understanding from each other because it. Yes, their friends were famous too but how many of them had been so viciously stalked? The answer: none. Not even what Max and Rei were going through currently could compare.

Sighing, in defeat, Tyson threw his pillow off his face and tossed his blankets to the side. Maybe if he got a glass of water he would be able to fall asleep?

The wooden floorboards creaked under Tyson's feet. Tiptoeing, he slid the door to his room open and crept out of his room. He moved silently, which would have shocked anyone. Tyson was known for being boisterous, and silence was a foreign word when applied to him.

Before Tyson and Kai started their fights Tyson could have never snuck around the dojo so quietly. At least one good thing came out of what had really happened between him and Kai.

Tyson smiled bitterly. He wanted to forget about what had happened. As time went by and the fights seemed to come to an end he felt trapped. Why couldn't he shake what happened off. Kai didn't care any more so why should he?

"Yo, Little Dude. What are you doing up so late?" Grandpa's voice whispered from behind Tyson.

It took every bit of willpower Tyson possessed not to jump in surprise and turn around calmly. He forced a smile on his face. The frown on his grandfather's sleepy face told Tyson that he didn't believe his smile for a minute.

Ignoring his grandfather's displeasure Tyson answered the question asked of him. "I couldn't sleep Gramps. I thought maybe a glass of water would help."

His grandfather gave him one of his rare looks of concern. Normally the old man would act like an energetic child, so any act of seriousness was precious. "Little Dude, I don't think water is going to solve your problem."

"Then what is?" Tyson snapped. He couldn't take it. He was tired and no one would leave him alone! He just wanted to be alone so he could figure things out on his own! If he didn't solve his problems on his own then who would? No one, that's who! Only Kai and him could solve this problem and they both needed to work together to do so, because of that no one could solve this problem other than him.

Grandpa shook his head piteously. "I can't really tell you what to do, because I don't know what to do myself."

Tyson scoffed. He loved his grandpa dearly, but this was far from helping.

He sighed, letting the feeling hopelessness flood his body. He hated the feeling but resisting the feeling was worse than just accepting it.

He longed for the days when his grandfather could make everything better. He missed the days when all it took was few words from an adult and everything would be good again, and any troubles would become bad dreams. Now his life felt like a circus and he was the main attraction.

"The paparazzi will go away with time, Little Dude," Grandpa spoke softly, trying to give his grandson some form of comfort, support, and love. "For now you should try and forget about them and ignore what you hear in the papers or the news. Instead you should focus more on your friendship with Kai. After all he is the reason you ran away."

"What?" Tyson hadn't told his grandpa that! How did he find out? Was Grandpa a physic?

"How?" Tyson stumbled over his question.

Grandpa smiled. "I may be old, but I can tell about these things. For months Kai and you have been acting differently. No else noticed, but I did. It wasn't until you ran away that I knew there was something between you and Kai."

"Gramps-" Tyson began, but Grandpa swiftly cut the bluenette off by lifting up his hand, signaling Tyson to stop.

"I don't want to know Tyson." Grandpa let the hand drop. "I don't need to know what happened between you and Kai to make you run away. I may accidentally kill Kai if you told me what happened. If you are in trouble and need help then tell me, but otherwise let's not risk Kai's life over something trivial."

Tyson knew the last part was supposed to be a joke, but something in his chest clenched at the words. He didn't want to see Kai hurt. He wanted to protect Kai from his grandfather, even if that meant he had to lie.

"Don't worry Gramps. It's nothing dire. I just had a tantrum and ran away afterwards. I'm sorry."

Yes. He would lie if it would protect Kai because in the end Kai was the one person who understood what he was going through and Tyson could not let that go.

* * *

**Author Chat:** Darn it. I had really planned for this chapter to be longer. Okay. Here is the deal. The next chapter will be a tiny bit longer but after that there will be a long chapter. I can promise you that.


	17. Let Me Go

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"One More Lie Could be the Worst"

_Let Me Go_- 3 Doors Down

The next morning was a silent one. By five 'o clock Tyson had given up on sleep and decided to prepare some breakfast for himself. If he was lucky he would be able to get some sleep after having a meal. He didn't expect a full eight hours of sleep but four hours would be nice to have.

What Tyson hadn't expected was for Kai to be awake too.

Kai was seated at the kitchen table with a bowl of rice, and was mindlessly picking at it as he read an article from a newspaper in front of him. His brow was furrowed in concentration as if he were trying to understand a difficult math equation.

_Cute._ Tyson thought, and immediately felt the urge to bang his head against a wall. "Cute" wasn't a word that described Kai. Scary, mean, spoilsport, brat, maybe sexy (maybe!), intimidating, and sadistic were words that described Kai. "Cute" was the opposite of everything Kai stood for.

So why was Tyson fighting the smile tugging on his lips, and why did he feel like giving Kai a hug?

"How much longer are you going to stare?" Kai asked without looking up from the paper, and Tyson blushed at being caught.

X.X.X.X.X.X.

Kai had been waiting impatiently for Tyson to speak. The bluenette had nearly given him a heart attack by being awake so early. If that weren't bad enough, Kai began to feel worried when Tyson just stood in the doorway staring him. It wasn't Tyson's staring that had him concerned, it was the lack of speaking. A silent Tyson wasn't a good thing.

"How much longer are you going to stare?" he asked without looking up.

"Uh…" Tyson stumbled for words. It was humorous, not that Kai would admit it. It was fun watching Tyson get flustered over something so simple as a question.

Kai snorted as Tyson continued to try and think up an excuse. He lifted his gaze up from the newspaper he had been studying and locked his sight on Tyson. "Don't bother explaining. Do whatever you were planning to do before you started staring into space."

A light blush was covering Tyson's cheeks as he nodded his head and walked over to the rice cooker. Kai watched intently as Tyson opened the machine to find cooked rice already in it. Tyson looked at him questioningly and Kai gave Tyson a nod.

"I made too much rice this morning. It's yours if you want it."

Tyson's face lit up at the offer, and Kai let his gaze return to his newspaper. He frowned at the table. When Tyson had given him such a warm look he had felt his insides heat up, and the corner of his lips had begun to twitch up in a smile. He didn't like the feeling and wanted to give Tyson a frown but a part of him hadn't wanted to ruin the bluenette's good mood, so he was left to frown at the table.

The chair opposite from Kai slid across the floor, and Kai knew Tyson was sitting across from him. To confirm his assumption, Kai looked up briefly. Tyson was holding a small bowl of rice in one hand and in the other was a pair chopsticks, poised and ready to dig into the food.

"So is there anything interesting in the news?" Tyson asked before stuffing some rice in his mouth.

Kai smirked. "Not really. The news is just talking about the double date we went on with Max and Rei."

Tyson choked on the rice in his mouth, and Kai had to stop himself from snickering at the sight. "What?" The bluenette managed to ask between his coughing fit.

"Yes, apparently, being gay is contagious, and we have infected Max and Rei with it," Kai replied sarcastically. "Now there is another debate on whether homosexuality is contagious."

"How can you find this so funny?" Tyson pouted.

"Funny?"

"Yes, funny." Tyson reached across the table and poked Kai with his chopsticks, earning a growl from Kai. "I can tell you find this amusing. Your eyes are lit up with mischief. It as if you know something they don't know."

"Because I do," Kai scoffed, and folded his arms over his chest. "I know that everything written in these articles are lies. I also know that there are more important news stories that are being forgotten because they are being put in the back of the newspaper. It's quite pathetic how the world is obsessed with our lives."

"But they are lying about us!"

Kai raised his eyebrow at the suppressed frustration in Tyson's voice. He understood where Tyson was coming from but that didn't change the facts. "They're lies Tyson. We know that and at least half of the people reading this think they're lies. Why should I be so upset about a lie?"

"I know, but-"

There was a click and a flash.

Kai's head snapped to the kitchen window. Millions of flashes went off, and for a moment Kai was blinded, but that did not stop the scowl from forming on his face. Without a word he stood up and walked over to the window and drew the curtains closed. Flashes were still going off behind the curtains and Kai had to fight the urge to open the window and curse the paparazzi out.

"Stupid paparazzi," he grumbled, and took his seat back across from Tyson.

The bluentte no longer looked forlorn. He was smiling and his eyes were glittering with happiness. "I thought you said you didn't care about the lies?" he teased.

Kai grunted. "Lies are one thing. Invading my personal life at every hour of the day is another."

Tyson's smile widened. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Why?" The question was out before Kai thought about it.

If possible the smile on Tyson's face grew once again. "For a moment I thought you didn't care about having our lives constantly under watch." He shrugged, "I don't know why, but somehow knowing that the paparazzi bother you too makes me feel better. I guess it's like the old saying, 'misery loves company'."

Kai grunted and picked up the paper, blocking his face from Tyson's view. He didn't want Tyson to see the smile on his face. It would ruin his reputation.

X.X.X.X.X.X.

**Author Chat: **I can't wait for the next chapter! It's my favorite. See ya next time guys!


	18. Forgotten

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"The rain then sends dripping acidic questions"

_Forgotten_- Linkin Park

Tyson coughed and closed his eyes as the fuzzy thing of doom tapped his face lightly, filling the air with powder. How could girls stand putting on make up, especially the ones that powdered their faces? Tyson had spent the last two minutes getting his face powered, and had already decided that he would never let someone with powder and blush near him again.

"Are you okay, Mr. Granger?" the make up artist asked and pressed the fuzzy thing to his face again.

He tried to be polite and hold back his cough but he accidentally inhaled some of the powder. "Sorry," he coughed out.

The make up artist frowned and put the fuzzy thing away. Thank Kami! She grabbed a tray of eye shadow off the table and Tyson felt his eyes twitch in warning.

"Uh… sorry if I offend you, Ma'am, but is the make up really needed?" he laughed nervously but stopped when all he received was an annoyed stare. He shrank in his seat, and prayed applying eye shadow wasn't a painful process because if it was he was sure it was going to be as painful as possible.

The woman swiped a small brush across the eye shadow palette. Tyson closed his eyes as the woman moved the brush towards his eyes. The brush tickled his eyelids and he had to hold back a giggle. His body itched to move but he reminded himself that he wasn't supposed to move until the make artist was done.

"The lights will bleach out your face if you don't wear make up," The artist explained in a whisper as she moved from one eye to the next. "So, why are you and your partner finally having an interview after a month of your relationship being public? Most celebrities would have had an interview before now."

"We thought the press would die down by now," Tyson answered, and breathed a sigh as the brush was pulled away from his eyes. He blinked his eyes and looked at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes popped out of his face, and his cheeks were a deeper shade but a still nice healthy looking color. "Sadly, the paparazzi are still stalking us."

Armed with a new brush, the make up artist began painting Tyson's lips. "They might have stopped if it weren't for the picture of you two at the breakfast table. One picture can be considered a fluke but two makes it real."

"But nothing was happening in that picture!" Tyson cried, forcing the woman to pause in painting his lips.

"They don't care," she pressed the brush against his lips and finished the job. "Smack your lips," she commanded, and Tyson did as he was told. "As far as people are concerned, Kai and you were together. If your relationship hadn't already been public the picture would have been brushed off as two friends having breakfast."

Tyson frowned. People couldn't really be stupid enough to believe a picture of two people together meant a relationship. Then again, there were rumors of celebrities being couples without such convincing evidence as a kiss.

"Kai and Tyson! You're on in two minutes!" A man with a headset shouted over the activity in the dressing room.

In his mirror, Tyson could see Kai nod his head and scowl at the people trying to force make up on him. Tyson smiled. At first he had been worried when he was told he was going to be separated from Kai but when he noticed that they could look at each through their mirrors he had calmed down.

Tyson stuck out his tongue at his own reflection. At that moment Kai had looked up and caught the action in his mirror, and scowled at Tyson, thinking the act was aimed at him. Tyson smiled, but Kai was too busy shoving someone's hand away to catch the smile.

"Okay, Mr. Granger, get up and stand over there," The make up artist said and pointed to a place marked near the entrance of the stage. "Mr. Hiwatari should be there soon."

"Okay, thank you." Tyson swung out of his chair and went to stand at the marked spot. He could see a portion of the audience from his view and frowned. The place looked packed. People were sitting in aisles. Were they all for Kai and him?

"They got my eyes," Kai growled, as he came up from behind Tyson.

Tyson laughed. Kai's eyes had been shadowed, making his red eyes stand out more than usual. A smudge of lip gloss glistened on the side of Kai's mouth and cheek.

"Here," Tyson licked his thumb and brushed the lip gloss away. Kai pulled back from the touch and made a warning sound but Tyson laughed it off. "Do you really want to go out in public with lip gloss staining your cheek?"

"I rather not have any make up on," Kai scowled. "Besides, aren't you supposed to be afraid of me?"

"Afraid?" Tyson repeated. What was-

The meaning behind Kai's words slammed into Tyson like a fire truck. Tyson had been so worried about the media attention that he had almost forgotten what had set off the chain of events that led to this moment. Any fear of Kai had diminished and the memories that had plagued him at nights were dim pictures of the past.

"I guess," Tyson began, unsure of himself. "We have been spending so much together since this media frenzy began that I forgot."

"Hn."

"Allow me to introduce our guests for the evening: Tyson Granger and Kai Hiwatari!"

"Why do they always say your name first?" Kai asked before the two were shoved on stage.

The question made Tyson laugh. He couldn't stop himself from smiling and waving at the cheering audience. Strangely, Kai seemed to know what to say to get him in a good mood.

Sitting at a big, round desk was a middle-aged woman. She wasn't smiling and seemed more interested in shuffling her papers than acknowledging her guests. She didn't even offer them a seat as the two approached her. Without waiting for the invite the two of them pulled out their chairs to take their seats.

When the crowd's roaring died down the woman looked up from her papers. "So I hear you two were causing trouble in the back for the make up artists. I would have thought that you two would love to try on some make up."

There were a few laughs from the audience but Tyson and Kai didn't smile.

_Excuse me_? Tyson silently asked. _Is she implying that since we are gay we should want to wear make up?_

Tyson tried to push the thought aside and feigned a smile. "Yes, we did give the make up artists a hard time but Kai was the worst. They only managed to get his eyes."

The woman nodded her head and glanced down at her papers. "Now, this is the first interview you two have had since your relationship has gone public. Is there anything you two would like to say before we continue on with the interview?"

Tyson was going to answer the question, but Kai beat him to the chase.

"There is no relationship between us," Kai stated.

"You two broke up?" The woman implored, looking interested for the first time.

Tyson shook his head. "No, we were never together. That picture of us kissing was taken in a heated moment."

"Indeed it was," the woman said condescendingly, not believing what Tyson had told her.

"Kai and I are not boyfriends!" Tyson attempted to explain, but again the woman cut him off.

"Have you two had intimate relations with each other?"

Tyson froze. What was he supposed to say to that? Wasn't the question a little personal? Of course it was! He scowled. So far the media had proven that it didn't care if something was personal or not, the media was going to report on it anyway. It made Tyson want to storm off the stage, but he refrained from doing so. It would be too much like admitting defeat.

Tyson looked to Kai for help with question.

"Perhaps you should read a magazine or a newspaper," Kai suggested smugly. "Since every form of news has recently been discussing our supposed, 'love life'."

The woman frowned. "But that doesn't mean it is true."

"Exactly," Kai pointed out. "Just like how the reports on a relationship between Tyson and myself are incorrect."

The woman was fuming. Tyson could see her cheeks turning red with anger and he wondered if Kai had doomed them both. "Then please explain the picture of you two kissing."

Kai shrugged. "We had just gone through something very stressful. The relief of being away from that stress had led to that kiss. There was nothing behind it."

"And in some cultures a kiss is a greeting!" Tyson threw in, earning an annoyed look from Kai.

"Are you saying its okay, for teenagers to go around kissing people out of relief?" the woman asked venomously.

Tyson's eyes narrowed. "No!" he shook his head at her ridiculous statement. "You're twisting our words around. We just told you what happened between us. Just because we did it doesn't mean someone else should."

"So you're a hypocrite?"

"No!" Tyson gasped, not believing what he was hearing. This woman was out to get him and Kai in trouble. She didn't want to hear anything they had to say. "You're bending my words again. We made a mistake and luckily we're good enough friends to not let it affect us."

"So you are saying that relationships between two men are mistakes?"

There was a coffee mug on the desk, and Tyson was tempted to pick it up and hurl it at this woman.

"Do you always try to bait your guests?" Kai asked cryptically.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She tried to act innocently, but Tyson and Kai could see through her disguise.

"Strange," Kai rubbed his chin in thought. "We were told that this interview was supposed to be about our relationship. At first I thought you were confused and thought this interview was to get our opinion on how teenagers should act, but now you say you that you don't know what you are talking about. I guess that means Tyson and I should leave until you figure out what this interview is supposed to be about."

The woman's jaw dropped, and Tyson grinned.

Kai slid off his seat and offered his hand to Tyson, who took it graciously, and together they walked off the stage.

The audience roared with cheers.

* * *

**Author Chat:** I loved most of Kai's lines in this chapter. He was fun to write.

I'm worried there may be some confusion with the mirrors in the beginning of the chapter. Here is the deal: there are two walls that are parallel from each other. On each wall there is a mirror and the mirrors are straight across from each other because of this I could be facing towards mirror on wall one and someone who is looking in the mirror on wall two can see what I am doing.

Now I know some people might be going, "Tyson isn't afraid of Kai? What?" The situation in this fanfic is very complex and Tyson hasn't really sat down and dealt with his emotions. Right now the media is a big distraction so he doesn't have time to fear Kai. In fact, the media is currently Tyson's "enemy", just as it is for Kai, and as you know the old saying, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."


	19. Coming For You

Chapter 18

"I'm breaking down. I just can't take it anymore."

_Coming For You_-JoJo

"Strange. We were told that this interview was supposed to be about our relationship. At first I thought you were confused and thought this interview was to get our opinion on how teenagers should act, but now you say that you don't know what you are talking about. I guess that means Tyson and I should leave until you figure out what this interview is supposed to be about."

Kai's words repeated for the fiftieth time in the dojo that morning, and they still hadn't lost their greatness.

"Max!" Tyson laughed his friend's name. "You are going to ruin that tape if you keep replaying that scene."

The blond boy smiled, but already Tyson could see Max pressing the rewind button on the remote. Max was stretched out on the floor in front of the TV with an empty bowl of popcorn. His eyes hadn't left the screen for two hours. "Sorry, Tyson, but for once Kai did something awesome! I can't believe he actually said that on live TV! I have a new respect for him."

Tyson's heart warmed at Max's words. He understood Max and Rei's wariness towards Kai, but for the last few weeks, Tyson had been lamenting the dint it had caused in the trio's friendship. It was wonderful to see Kai was back in Max and Rei's good graces, for the moment at least, and perhaps not so much Rei. The neko-jin was wise and knew one good deed did not make everything right. However, Rei was kind enough to stop eyeing Kai as if the dual haired teen was holding a gun.

"…until you figure out what this interview is supposed to be about."

Max squealed with delight. "I still can't believe it!" His finger was pressing the rewind button again before anyone could stop him.

"I guess this proves Kai has a nice side after all?" Tyson asked light heartedly, but he held his breath. Max's answer was important to him. He wanted to hear Max agree with him, and then they could hunt down Kai and tease the older teen mercilessly. He longed to hear a positive answer.

But why? What did it matter whether Max thought Kai was nice or not? A lot of people called Kai heartless, but Tyson had never cared. So what made now so different?

The images on the TV screen paused, and for the first time in hours, Max tore his eyes away from the flashing screen. His face was scrunched up in thought, and he stared at Tyson questioningly.

Butterflies danced and played in Tyson's stomach. His blood rose like the ocean tide and consumed his face, and he felt ashamed. He should have known Max would find the question odd, but at the time the question had felt right and reasonable. Now Tyson saw how foolish he had been.

He couldn't take Max's curious stare, and turned his back on his friend, pretending to leave the room. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked that," he attempted to apologize.

"What?" Max's voice held confusion, causing Tyson to put a hold on his exit. "Why are you sorry."

His blood roared, and his face became brighter than a cherry. Thank Kami Max couldn't see his face. His best friend would think he was sick if Max saw his face. "Sorry for asking a personal question," Tyson lied.

His apology had come from his shame of making a fool of himself.

"It's okay," Max assured with a wave of his hand. He turned on his side so he could get a better view of Tyson. "I don't mind that it was personal, but it was weird. At first you sounded normal but at the end of your question it sounded like you were asking for approval."

Sweat formed on Tyson's brow.

Approval? Was that what he had been asking for? Had he secretly longed for Max's approval of Kai? But Max already approved of Kai! They were teammates!

But did being teammates mean Max approved of Kai as a person?

Tyson pushed the question down to the deepest recesses of his mind. He did not want to think about this.

"Is that all?" Tyson forced himself to ask.

"No," Max answered. "It's harder to explain, but the way you sounded and your choice of words reminded me of a girl asking her parents if they liked her boyfriend. Forgive me for saying this, but it made me think that maybe you do have feelings for Kai that are more than friendship."

Tyson laughed, but his heart wasn't in it. He didn't know what he wanted. His brain and heart were giving him mixed signals. Logic and reason had no place with emotions, but his life had changed so drastically emotions were everywhere, while logic and reason screamed at him.

What could he do?

"Don't worry Max," Tyson tried his best to act confident. "I know my feelings, and I feel nothing more than friendship for Kai."

His act must have been convincing because Max nodded his head and went back to watching the tape. Tyson sighed inside and left his friend to watch the tape.

As Tyson wandered the halls of the dojo, he bit his lip. How could he still be so confused? Shouldn't he know how he felt?

He knew what he was supposed to feel. He was supposed to feel hate and disgust towards Kai. He was supposed to wish for Kai's demise. He was supposed to feel safe with his friends and family and either terror or hatred with Kai.

He was scared around Kai, but the presence of the older teen was more comforting than his friends or family. He didn't want to see Kai's demise. He wanted Kai to be happy, and work with him to fix their problems. Any disgust Tyson had wasn't for Kai but for himself. He felt disgusted for letting things escalate to such a height and for hiding the truth from the people that cared about him.

It wasn't right.

Why did his head have to conflict with his heart? Why couldn't the two agree?

Tyson stopped in his steps. How long had he been walking? How long had he let his thoughts run rampant? Had anyone noticed and seen the look of frustration and shame on his face?

He lifted his gaze from the floor. It didn't take long for his eyes to find another presence.

Leaning casually against the wall was Kai. He stared intently at Tyson, but did not make a move toward him, or move his mouth to speak. He just held Tyson in his gaze but the gaze was enough to speak what was on Kai's mind.

Tyson was trapped. Physically he could run, but mentally he was chained and bound to the ground. The questions he saw in Kai's eyes left him hollow. The questions were simple and came from the care Kai dared not show, but the questions reminded Tyson of his own.

What was happening between them? Were they simply friends? Could they be friends? Did Kai feel the same strange and new feelings Tyson was beginning to feel? Was it right for them to feel this way?

"You look like you want to drown," Kai commented, veiling his concern with a harsh comment.

"I think I am," Tyson whispered. He was drowning in his own confusion.

Kai had the decency to look surprised.

Tyson couldn't blame him. It wasn't everyday he said he felt like he was drowning, but that was the prefect description of what was happening to him. His thoughts and emotions were out of his control. They pushed him like the currents of the ocean, threatening to push under the deadly water and smash him against the rocks.

"Hn."

"Is that all you can say?" Tyson asked, his voice devoid of emotion.

"What else is there to say?" Kai asked. "I'm not going to lie and tell you everything is going to get better."

Tyson chuckled. "I wasn't expecting comfort from you. I expected you to tell me that I am overreacting."

Yes. He was overreacting. That was it. In a couple of days he'd laugh at himself for feeling so pathetic.

Kai snorted, and pushed himself off the wall. He walked passed Tyson as if the other boy didn't exist, or so it would seem until he said, "I told you, 'I'm not going to lie'."


	20. Can't Let Go

Chapter 19

"Divide me that way I can love and hate you baby. Torn between stayin' or keepin' you with me, I can't let go."

_Can't Let Go_- Linda Kiraly

_Finally!_ Tyson thought with a sigh of relief as he placed the phone back in its cradle. For the past few days he had been trying to get in touch with Tala but it was as if the redhead did not exist. There were no addresses or phone numbers for Tala in the phone book and it took almost all of Tyson's connections to finally get a hold of a phone.

Tyson looked at the piece of paper in his hand and smiled. It may have taken a while to get it, but he didn't regret the time he had spent, and he wasn't going to lose it anytime insure the paper's safety he stuffed the piece of paper with the precious number on it in his jeans' pocket.

Now all he needed was a moment of guaranteed solitude. The last thing Tyson wanted was for someone to find out he was talking to Tala on the phone and then have word slip to Kai about it.

Tyson felt his heart sink as he was reminded why it had taken him so long to get the phone number. If Kai found out that he wanted to talk to Tala, then he would have to answer to Kai's questions. So he avoided asking Mr. Dickinson for the number in case the old man revealed anything to Kai. He also avoided asking any of his friends. In fact, Tyson did something he never thought he would do.

He used the paparazzi.

At first he had been hesitant to use any form of media to help him, but then he met a young paparazzi desperate to make a buck.

Tyson had managed to sneak out one night without the herd of paparazzi that usually followed him around by throwing a rock into a bush and distracting them with the sound. With his pursers momentarily distracted he had snuck out into the night and went to the park for some fresh air.

It was at the park that he saw the young man crying on a park bench starring up at the starry with a defeated look.

Tyson had known better but he couldn't ignore someone in distress so against his better judgment he asked the boy what was wrong. The boy was stunned at first upon seeing who had asked him the question but within moments he started crying again and explained to Tyson why he was upset.

Apparently the boy needed a photo of a celebrity or he would be fired the next he went to work.

That's when Tyson had an idea. He made a deal with the boy and the boy agreed to it. The boy took a picture of Tyson right then and there, and Tyson gave the boy his phone number and threatened that if the number leaked out to the public then he would have to take drastic measures against him. The boy understood and promised to inform Tyson as soon as he found anything on Tala.

For the next few days the boy was calling Tyson for little bits of information on Tala that would help with his search. Tyson had to ask around for some of the answers but not enough that anyone would get suspicious, and finally he had the number.

_Finally!_

Tyson's body thrummed with a new energy. His search was over and it felt great! Soon he would have someone to talk to about his… problem.

Was it right to call it problem?

The hollow ache in Tyson's stomach told him it wasn't a problem but his head said it was.

The "problem" was his feelings for Kai. What was he supposed to feel for Kai? Kai had hurt him and he had hurt Kai, because of that nothing but hate should exist between them, but at the same time Kai was the only one who understood the situation and because of that Tyson felt a strong bond with Kai. It was like he was trapped on an island with Kai and the waters surrounding the island were full of ships with explorers on board trying to discover the secret of the island but failing miserably. The people trying to understand them and their island were scary and Kai knew how to comfort Tyson, even if it didn't seem like comfort.

Kai's presence through the hurricane of events that had happened so quickly was comfort in of itself. He was shelter from the storm, but a shelter that did not hide the destruction of the storm and allowed room for growth.

If only there wasn't so much bad blood between them.

Sure they were moving past that point in their lives and trying to become good teammates again, but after being so physically close, and now being forced to be emotionally close too, it felt like there had to be more or nothing at all.

And he didn't want to be alone.

It may sound silly, but if Kai wasn't in his life then Tyson would be as good as alone. No one understood what he was feeling or what he was going through other than Kai. He needed Kai in life.

So why did his mind tell him differently?

Tyson could just hit his head against a wall.

Was it right to want more from Kai?

Did he really want more or was he just confused?

Would it be better if he didn't have Kai in his life?

These were only some of the questions Tyson needed answered and Tala just might have the answers.

It felt like there was no one else Tyson could talk to. Tyson couldn't talk to his teammates or family because they all knew Kai was the reason why he ran away and because of that they would try to convince him not to pursue any relationship with Kai before hearing what he had to say.

He couldn't talk to Kai because Kai wasn't exactly the emotional type and Tyson rather not risk getting laughed at.

So that meant Tyson had to find someone who knew enough about him and Kai to be open minded. That left Kai's old teammates and Tyson knew in his heart that Tala would be the best choice. As mean as Tala tried to be, he really was a kind person.

Hopefully, Tala would be able to help, or else Tyson didn't know what he would do.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Wow! This is really old. I know probably very few people are going to read this chapter, so for those of you who do/have: Thank you. I know it has been _years_, and that this is not the amazing chapter that you have all been waiting for, however, I feel I should take the chapters that I wrote all those years ago and finally post them. That's right, I've been holding on to these chapters for a while now, and for whatever reason I never posted them. All the editing I did was for typos and such, and I am going to do that for the next few chapters. So if you were hoping for improved writing skills, sorry, but that is not going to be the case.

Also, special thanks to shadowdolls. You inspired me to finally finish this story.


	21. Fences

Chapter 20

"And it's obvious that you're dying, dying. Just living proof that the camera is lying. And open wide, 'cause this is your night, so smile, cause you'll go out in style."

-_Fences_ Paramore

The flashes from dozens of cameras were making Tyson feel lightheaded. He tried to block the annoying and troublesome lights by raising his arm protectively over his forehead and ducking his head, but the flashes invaded his sight no matter what he did. He winced as he forced himself to look past the lights and search the distance for the place Tala agreed to meet him at.

Hopefully the cameras wouldn't scare Tala off. Tyson knew if he were Tala he would run at the sight of anyone being mobbed by the paparazzi. A few cameras were all well and good, but when it came to twenty or more cameras taking a picture every second anyone would rightfully become camera shy, even Tala.

"Um…" Tyson began as he tried to get one of the photographers to move slightly so he could see, but he stopped when that very person took a picture of him.

The light from the photographer's shot caused Tyson's vision to go black with colorful specks. He blinked and felt a few drops of tears run down his cheeks as the spinning colors in the darkness returned to being their true objects and not dancing blabs.

Another camera was shoved inches away from Tyson's face. Startled by the intrusive object, he jumped back on instinct and collided with one of the paparazzi. That same paparazzi fell and took down three of his comrades.

For the briefest moment no pictures were being taken as everyone stared in shock. It was only as the man Tyson had knocked down began cursing under his breath and examining his equipment that Tyson came to his senses and used this opportunity to get away from his followers, if only for a second.

He jumped over the fallen men and elbowed his way through the throng of paparazzi. Some people cried out in surprise at his sudden actions, but Tyson ignored them.

He had to get away from them if he ever wanted to reach Tala. He could already tell that he had gotten off track. He was so short compared to the most of the paparazzi that had been following him that he had been unable to read street signs or see the most basic of his surroundings.

As Tyson ran back the way he had come, he heard a few of the paparazzi chasing him and cursed. He had been hoping for a few more seconds before their pursuit.

There had to be some way to lose these annoying, little spies of the public.

_Like finding the place you are supposed to be at?_ A sarcastic voice in Tyson's head offered.

Tyson bit his bottom lip in frustration. He knew it seemed pointless to run away from is pursuers but he just couldn't give up. He had to keep some of his life normal and private, even if it was only an illusion created by his desperate attempts.

Determined to meet Tala, Tyson swiveled his head back and forth. He must have run for a good minute before his eyes landed on a café with a Russian name that Tyson could not pronounce.

Tyson had to stare for an extra second at the name of the place to make sure it was the correct location. When he was sure the name on the building matched the one in his head he didn't waste any more time and ran for it.

Within seconds Tyson threw open the door and ran inside. A worker, who had been standing near the door, seemed to know what was going on and slammed the door behind Tyson before locking it behind him.

Tyson collapsed onto his knees on the ground. He was tired and having trouble breathing. After running around everywhere he was tired and his lungs burned a tad.

"Thank you," Tyson managed to breathlessly thank the worker who had locked the door.

The worker grunted and without a word grabbed Tyson by the upper arm and pulled him to his feet. The worker than proceeded to lead Tyson in the direction in the back of the café.

Tyson noticed how the café was devoid of any other human other than himself and the worker. Had the café closed down for his privacy? He had heard of places doing such a thing for really famous celebrities, but Tyson had never experienced it himself before. He thought an appointment was needed for a place to be empty for any celebrity.

"You're late."

Tyson snapped out of his wondering thoughts to see a scowling Tala sitting at a round, wooden table across from him.

"Sorry," Tyson shrugged off the worker's hand, and with a quick bow the worker left the two alone. "I tried to get here sooner but-"

"The paparazzi were following you," Tala finished for him.

"Yeah," Tyson breathed a sigh. So Tala knew, and judging by the way the scowl had disappeared from the red head's face Tala forgave him for his tardiness. Thank goodness. An angry Tala was the last thing Tyson needed.

"Aren't you going to take a seat?" Tala asked and nodded towards the seat in front of him.

"Oh! Uh…yeah," Tyson fumbled for the words. Cheeks heating up from embarrassment, Tyson pulled his seat out, listening to the skidding sound it made as it scraped against the floor.

The sound triggered something in Tyson. He had been so distracted with trying to understand his feelings he had ignored everything else, even his feelings themselves. He felt nervous and hesitant. Was Tala really the best choice? He had told himself so but suddenly he was reminded of the very callous part of Tala's personality.

Maybe this wasn't the best thing to do?

Tyson shook his head and sat down in his chair. He was acting strangely, but hadn't he been for a while now? He didn't use to doubt himself, but now every step he took was filled with self=doubt.

_But I can't overcome that doubt if I don't a risk and try trusting myself again._

"So are you going to talk or not?"

"Huh?" Tyson asked, taken off guard.

Tala had his arms crossed across his chest, and he was leaning precariously back in his chair so the piece of furniture was balanced on its two back legs. The scowl that had vanished was tugging on his lips faintly, but it appeared Tala was doing his best to control it.

Another rush of heat filled Tyson's face and he bowed his head so Tala would not be able to read the embarrassment and discomfort on his face. "Sorry," Tyson apologized. "I'm just a little dazed and…confused?"

Confused? Was that the right word? Somehow it didn't seem to describe what he was feeling, but it was the best his vocabulary could come up with.

Tala sighed and sat up straight so his chair was no longer slightly tilted. "On the phone you mentioned something about Kai. What about him? By the looks of the newspapers you would know more about him than I would."

"What?" Tyson sputtered. He was thankful he hadn't been drinking or eating anything or else it would have all flown out of his mouth. "You know it's all lies, right?"

Tala shrugged. "Honestly. It wouldn't surprise me if you two were really a couple. You two are not necessarily dependent on each other, however there is a strong bond between you two. Even when you two are separated you guys seem to have only the other on your mind."

"Really?" Tyson asked. He could feel his eyes growing large with curiosity at the new information. He knew there was a bond between him and Kai, and he knew Kai was on his mind a good portion of the time but never had it occurred to him that he may be on Kai's mind a lot too. "When did you notice this bond?"

Tala's face scrunched up in thought. "It's hard to say. It's been there for so long I can't remember when I first noticed it."

Tyson didn't know what to feel about that. If Kai had only recently started thinking about him then it was because of their current issues and not possibly for others. Did he want their current issues to be on Kai's mid, or did he want it to be something else? Everything was so complicated.

"You look pathetic," Tala stated with no remorse. "Is that because of the paparazzi or because of Kai?"

"I don't know," Tyson breathed and laid his forehead against the table between him and Tala. "It seems like both. It has to do with Kai but the paparazzi are not making it easier. I need a moment to myself to think but the last time I tried that…" Tyson trailed off. The last time he tried to give himself space to think he had run away and that had replaced one problem with another.

"What am I going to do?" Tyson asked himself aloud.

Flash!

Oh. Dear. Kami. Please don't tell him it was—

Another flash and a click.

"What the hell!" Tala cried and stood up and slammed his hands on the table.

It was.

Tyson groaned as he lifted his head off the table and turned to face what he dreaded most.

A female paparazzi stood there with a camera.

A vicious growl ripped from Tala's throat as he pulled Tyson across the table and tried the hid the younger teen behind himself. Seconds later the worker from earlier was there and yelling at the woman.

Tyson just watched with glazed over eyes as the woman and worker fought against each other. He didn't even care that Tala was treating him like a small child that needed protecting. He was so tired of fighting with the paparazzi and rather let someone else deal with it.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

The morning sunshine poured in through the Granger household. A peaceful silence was settled over the Dojo and the only one awake to enjoy it was Kai, but he was too furious to enjoy it.

He had known that Tyson had gone out the other day but he hadn't known why, until now.

That little, annoying, traitorous Tyson was out with none other than one of Kai's old teammates: Tala.

Kai's hands shook with unspoken fury as he held the newspaper with a picture of Tyson and Tala splattered across the front page. Kai could handle Tyson being with Tala but the picture revealed Tyson to not just be with Tala but to be in Tala's arms.

Tyson in Tala's arms.

They'd pay dearly.

Kai crumpled the newspaper with his bare hands and threw it at a wall, accidently knocking down a picture and breaking it.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you everyone who has decided to keep reading this story! Special thanks to those who reviewed. Even after all these years I still struggle to review other author's stories myself, so I am very appreciative of the words you have spared for me.

Also, I was asked if I would continue on with my other Beyblade fics. Well, I gave it some thought, I reread Eyes Wide Open, I found some unpublished chapters of it on my computer, and I have decided to give it a shot. I can't promise that it will be completed, but I will try. I'll also be posting the pre-written chapters without any major edits, so don't be surprised if after about four chapters my writing style changes drastically.

Again, thank you all for reading and supporting this story, especially after abandoned it like a puppy.


	22. No Good

Chapter 21

"_I told you I was trouble, you know I'm no good._"

-_You Know I'm No Good_ Amy Whinehouse

Something was off with Kai, Tyson noticed. Kai had been acting strangely all day. It was as if he were angry at something, and while not uncommon, something about this anger felt different from the everyday anger Kai displayed. Kai never said a word and avoided people like the plague, and if anyone got in his way as he moved about the Dojo he would physically force them to get out of his way.

Tyson frowned and picked at the rice he was supposed to be eating for dinner. He wanted to eat but he couldn't find the will to lift up his chopsticks. All of his energy was going into trying not to look at Kai, which was rather difficult since the older boy was sitting across from him. Occasionally, Tyson would glance to his sides to see if Rei, Max, or his Grandpa could sense the tension in the air, but they seemed unaffected by atmosphere.

Sighing, Tyson put his chopsticks down on the table next to his bowl.

"Are you okay Tyson?" Rei asked. Three sets of eyes were on Tyson, all of them silently repeating the question.

Tyson was disappointed to see that Kai wasn't worried about him and instead he hadcontinued to eat his food in a peaceful manner.

Not letting the disappointment show on his face, Tyson smiled and shook his head. "I'm fine. I just don't feel hungry today. I have a lot of things on my mind."

Rei nodded his head in acceptance and went back to eating. Tyson's grandpa and Max did the same thing and once again Tyson felt thankful for the paparazzi. After the they had invaded his life it wasn't uncommon for him to have no appetite, making his excuse passable.

No one had to know that really he was concerned about Kai.

"Excuse me," Tyson said as he pushed back his seat and stood up. "I'm going to go to bed."

Spinning on the balls of his feet, Tyson tried to ignore the urge to run out of the room and did his best to walk at a normal pace.

Max, Rei and his grandpa mumbled various forms of the phrase, "Goodnight" as he left.

Even though Tyson had his back turned towards Kai something told him that Kai was shooting a glare at him. To make sure he _was_ imagining things, Tyson turned his head slightly.

Kai was starring down at his bowl as he ate. It was as if he hadn't noticed Tyson's departure.

Tyson turned his gaze back to what was in front of him, smiled, and shook his head. He was just being crazy. Kai was acting strange but he had done nothing to earn Kai's anger, so it would make no sense for his team captain to be sending hidden glares to him.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

It was well past midnight by the time Kai decided to make his move.

The day had been pure torture for him. He wanted to see Tyson suffer and beg for mercy for what he had done. He wanted so badly to make the other boy scream at him and pay attention to only him and no one else.

It was sick and twisted and Kai liked it.

He had felt like a caged animal all day as he waited for a moment when no one would be able to stumble upon him punishing Tyson, but now as he made his way silently towards Tyson's bedroom he felt freer than he had for months. Unknowingly he had been locking away a piece of himself and never would he lock it away again. He loved the feeling of it too much.

It was like an animal clawing at his skin and pulling him deeper it the cold waters of ocean. The water drowned out everything around him and all he had to feel was that pull, that tug. It was an indescribable pull, and it called out to him, telling him to forget about self-control and to take what he wanted because if he didn't then he was foolish. Foolish because he was the same as a starving man rejecting free food.

Whatever had created this overwhelming pull in Kai was unknown to him, but what he did know was that he wanted Tyson to suffer as much as he did. He wanted Tyson to feel as if someone were ripping out his heart just as it had felt for him when he had seen that photo of Tyson and Tala together.

As Kai reached Tyson's bedroom door he paused and stared at it. All he had to do was push that door open and take what he wanted, and somehow that thought was alluring to him. The fact that only a door stood in his way pleased him because he knew somewhere deep inside of him that Tyson would not reject him.

Oh sure, Tyson would fight and resist, but that was just a part of their game. It wouldn't be as much fun if was _too_ easy.

Pushing the door open, and then shutting it so it would not make a sound, Kai entered Tyson's bedroom.

Hidden beneath the white covers of his bed was the sleeping Tyson. His face was scrunched up and his jaw was clenched as he tossed and turned in his sleep.

Kai watched as Tyson's face transformed from one agonized expression to the next. He was hypnotized by the sight and barely noticed as his body moved on its own towards Tyson's bed. He hardly noticed as he straddled Tyson and pinned the younger boy's hands to his sides.

Tyson's body stopped twisting and turning when Kai's weight fell upon it. His fingers twitched and he tried to move his hands, but Kai kept them pinned to the bed. Then, ever so slowly, Tyson's eyelids lifted just enough so Kai could see the tiniest bit of Tyson's eyes.

Kai smirked. "Wake up Tyson," he leaned down and whispered the words into Tyson's ear. When he felt Tyson stiffen beneath him, Kai pulled back and watched in fascination as Tyson's eyes opened a bit more and then widen to their full size upon seeing him.

"Kai?" Tyson whispered breathlessly.

Kai wouldn't let Tyson speak further and pressed his lips against Tyson's.

Tyson pulled back a bit but Kai followed and continued to kiss Tyson. That was the only form of resistance Kai received from Tyson. Kai wanted more. He didn't want Tyson to give in so easily, he wanted a struggle, he wanted a fight, he wanted to prove that he was superior. So he pressed his lips harder against Tyson's mouth and forced his tongue inside Tyson's mouth.

Tyson moaned.

Kai tightened his hold on Tyson's wrist at the moan of pleasure he received. His heart had skipped a beat when he heard such a delicious sound emit from the boy beneath him. He hadn't wanted to hear that kind of a reaction from Tyson.

Another moan came from Tyson but this one was filled with a hint of pain.

Blood stained Kai's fingertips from digging his nails into Tyson's skin and he felt a sense of glee.

That was what he wanted. He wanted pain, not pleasure.

Kai bit Tyson's bottom lip and drew blood.

Tyson gave a weak cry of pain, but again there was no resistance from him.

This did not satisfy Kai. He couldn't hurt Tyson like he wanted to unless the boy reacted and fought against him. If Tyson didn't react then…

Then what? What did it matter if Tyson struggled or not? Just as long as Tyson felt the pain Kai was feeling then that was all that mattered.

Right?

Kai pulled back from the kiss and sat up straight. He glared down at Tyson, but his glare was only a weak copy of the one he normally wore.

Beneath him Tyson was gasping for breath with hazy, lust-filled eyes, eyes that would not stop staring at Kai.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't stare into those eyes, so he turned his head away and glared at a wall near Tyson's bed.

What had he done? What had he planned to do? Had he really planned on forcing himself on Tyson just to get back at him? But Tyson hadn't done anything to him! Yes the photo and the headline with it had enraged Kai but was that really Tyson's fault?

Kai let go of Tyson's wrists, and shoved his hands into his pants pockets. He couldn't look at the hands that had held Tyson down.

"Kai?" Tyson whispered hoarsely and propped his upper body up with his elbows. "What-"

Kai cut him off. "We're never going to be able to fix this."

Even though Kai wasn't looking at him, Kai knew Tyson had a panicked expression on his face; he knew Tyson too well. Maybe that's why he had been able to stop himself in time because when Kai looked Tyson in the eyes he saw something. He didn't know what it was but it was strong enough to fill him to the brink with guilt.

"What are you talking about Kai?" Tyson asked nervously. "I know you almost lost it for a moment, but you stopped yourself. We can fix this."

Kai chuckled bitterly.

Poor, simple Tyson. If only wishing and hoping could solve their problems, but this was reality and the reality of the situation was that Kai couldn't control himself once angered. To only make matters worse, his anger could easily be sparked, especially if he ever caught Tyson with another male again.

He needed time, time to straighten things out in his mind and get control of himself again.

Kai slid off of Tyson and wordlessly made his way towards the door.

"Where are you going Kai?" Tyson asked in a concerned tone.

Kai paused after opening the door. "Somewhere to think," Kai answered, shutting the door behind him as he left.

As Tyson sat on his bed he touched his heart with the tip of his fingers and closed his eyes at the sudden pain he felt his chest.

Something didn't feel right.

* * *

"_You shrug and it's the worse. Who truly stuck the knife in first?_"

-_You Know I'm No Good_ Amy Whinehouse

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you again to everyone who has shown support for this story. As I said in the last chapter, I will be continuing my other Beyblade story, Eyes Wide Open, and I was wondering if anyone would like me to update that story before my next update for this one? Also, just gotta say, I really love the song the quotes from this chapter come from, and I think it sets up a good tone for this chapter, so if you want to, give it a listen. I'm listening to it right now!


	23. Words Unspoken

Chapter 22

"_I know if I could do it over I would trade—give away—all the words that I saved in my heart, that I left unspoken."_

_What Hurts The Most_—Racal Flatts

* * *

"Are you sure you haven't found anything?" Tyson asked, his hope dying inside and being replaced with fear and desperation with each second.

Rei shook his head. His golden eyes glowed with sympathy and sorrow for Tyson. "I'm sorry. I just finished talking to Mr. Dickinson, and Max called a few minutes ago to tell me that he hasn't found anything. So far there is no sign of where Kai has gone."

Tyson pressed a hand against his aching chest. His heart hurt like nothing he had ever felt. It was as if someone had stabbed his heart and like a balloon it had deflated. Now a thick chain connected to a two-ton weight was pulling his heart down to the pits of his stomach. He tried to get rid of the pain by taking a deep breath, but the action made it feel like he was pulling on the chain only to have the two-ton weight come crashing down in his stomach again.

"Cheer up Tyson," Rei tried to act comforting and smile, but the happiness in his smile did not reach his eyes. Then, as if knowing his eyes gave away his true feelings, Rei's gaze removed itself from Tyson and roamed the kitchen.

Tyson hadn't left the kitchen since entering it that morning and finding it empty. He had planned to find Kai there eating his breakfast. When he found it empty he had decided to take a seat at the table and wait for Kai—it was their morning routine, after all. When Rei and his grandfather entered the kitchen an hour later Tyson didn't greet them or answer their questions about why he was up so early. When Max finally dragged himself out of bed another hour later Tyson lost all of his self-control.

The fresh memory of himself throwing his arms on the table, burying his face in those very same arms, and crying made Tyson blush a bit but the blush easily vanished.

He had told his friends and grandpa that Kai was gone and he was worried. His family and friends were a little taken aback at his emotional reaction, but they quickly recovered and decided to help Tyson.

Rei was the one that decided to keep Tyson company while everyone searched. It was supposed to be comforting, but it wasn't. Instead of taking a seat at the table with Tyson he stood in the middle of the room. Every now and then he would wander to another spot and pretend to be looking at something. Sometimes Rei would give a slight twitch and open his mouth, but he would quickly shut it, as if he realized he was about to do something wrong.

Once again Rei opened his mouth. "Is there anything you want to eat, Tyson?" He smiled, but the gesture didn't reach his eyes.

"No thank you," Tyson uttered quietly.

"Just let me know if you need anything," Rei said.

"Thanks," Tyson mumbled half-heartedly. He knew what he needed and unless Rei knew where Kai was, Rei could not help him. Tyson needed to talk Kai, or at least see him. Something about the other night had seemed so final. Had his actions upset Kai?

He couldn't have helped it. Last night when Kai snuck into his room he had been having a nightmare, but somehow Kai's presence had chased the nightmare away. Then when Kai had kissed him he became scared and confused; he instinctively had pulled back. However, then Kai pulled him back into the kiss he felt his worries and fears wash away to be replaced with a warm, peaceful feeling.

In the back of his head Tyson knew Kai only meant to hurt him, but he didn't care. He had felt irrationally safe with Kai and when Kai had decided t leave the feeling of safety he had felt vanished and was replaced with an oppressive feeling of doom.

Tyson gulped down the tears and hurt that came with remembering his last moments with Kai.

_Ring!_

"Phone," Rei mumbled under his breath and tried his hardest not to run out of the kitchen to answer the phone.

Tyson sighed and waited for Rei's return.

Someone had to know where Kai was, right? Kai couldn't just disappear and never be seen again, right?

Right?

Tyson felt his ears perk as he heard running footsteps come towards the kitchen. Since everyone else was out looking around, logically it had to be Rei. The thought made Tyson frown. Rei usually didn't make a lot of noise as he moved about. If he did was because the situation was dire, and he was rushing around. Something had caused Rei to lose his exterior—something that couldn't be good, considering the boy's naturally calm nature.

Rei came sliding to a stop in the kitchen. He was out of breath and scanning the room desperately for Tyson. Once he saw that Tyson was exactly where he left him, Rei didn't waste any time in grabbing Tyson and forcing the younger boy out of his seat and pulling him out of the room towards the front door.

"Hey! Wait Rei!" Tyson cried and struggled against the hold his friend had on his wrist. "What happened? Who called? Where are we going?"

Rei didn't pause in his actions as he shouted over his shoulder. "Mr. Dickinson just found out Kai bought a plane ticket. Mr. Dickinson sent a taxi to pick us up, but we only have a half hour to make it to the airport."

The weight on his heart cracked into thousands of pieces, and his heart was torn to shreds.

* * *

Kai sighed in frustration as he looked at the time written on his ticket compared to the time the airport systems were saying. His ticket said he should be on the airplane and heading towards his destination at the momen,t but the airport computers said his plane wouldn't board for another five minutes. This was the last thing he needed. It would only be a matter of time before his teammates would track him down and try to stop him.

He'd being lying if he said he didn't want his friends to stop him. For once he wanted to stay, but he knew better. He had hurt Tyson one too many times, and while his departure may hurt Tyson as well, the pain would only be emotional. If Kai stayed he would give Tyson emotional and physical pain. That was something he no longer wanted to do.

He didn't want to have another moment of weakness that would lead to him hurting Tyson and the only way to do that would be for him to leave.

Kai chuckled bitterly.

Wasn't it ironic? A few months ago he had been the one to tell Tyson that running away only made matters worse. _"In the end running away doesn't solve anything. You were being childish."_ His words exactly, right?

But this was different. Tyson and him had tried to fix things and it was Kai who couldn't let go of old habits. It wouldn't be fair to let Tyson suffer when he was finally moving on with his life. Plus, who would really miss him? People would be upset with his departure for a few days, but then they would forget about him.

"All passengers boarding flight G-17 please get ready to board."

* * *

"You have to let me through!" Tyson shouted as he tried to force himself past the security guard that was in charge of checking tickets. The big muscled man would not budge and frowned when Tyson continued to try and get past him.

"Look kid," the security guard began. "I know you're a celebrity, but I can't let you through unless you have a ticket. Even if I let you through, you would have to get past another security point."

"But this an emergency!" Tyson exclaimed and glanced to the side to see if Rei was fairing any better with the other security guard. The frown on Rei's face as the airport worker lectured him told Tyson everything he needed to know.

This called for drastic measures. Tyson just prayed his grandfather would forgive him and bail him out of jail.

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Tyson shoved past the security guard in front of him and ran. The guard having thought Tyson had given up was taken by surprise by the teen's abrupt actions and barely had enough time to yell at him to stop When that didn't work, he grabbed the walkie-talkie on his shoulder and requested back up.

Tyson ignored the screams of shock as he ran past airport security. He jumped and dodged hands that tried to grab him.

Mr. Dickinson had got Kai's flight number; he hoped he remembered it correctly.

* * *

Kai tried to ignore the other passengers gawking at him as he waited in line to get his ticket checked for the last time and board the plane. He also tried to ignore the whispered questions about Tyson and him between other passengers, but he couldn't.

He wanted to forget Tyson and move on with his life, but his mind wasn't ready to let those memories go. It latched on to any sentence with Tyson's name in it. As he heard people spread rumors about his teammate and him, Kai tried not smile as his memories became stronger.

His memories wouldn't seem significant to anyone but him, and in fact, would seem random, but each memory held a special place in Kai's heart. Like Tyson giving him a beautiful, heart-warming smile, or Tyson crying because someone close to him was hurt. Little things like the burning fire of determination in Tyson's eyes as he stood up to Kai were precious things to him.

Normally, he hated being sentimental but this moment of weakness was fine with him. Who knew when he would be returning? It may be years, so he should use this moment to take in his surroundings because he wouldn't see them again for a log time.

"Ticket?" A young girl said with a smile and held out her hand for Kai's ticket.

Kai handed over his ticket to the girl and barely paid attention as she scanned it into a machine.

She smiled and handed the ticket back to Kai when it passed the test. "Thank you, sir. I hope you enjoy your flight."

Kai took the ticket and boarded the plane.

For the briefest second Kai swore he could hear Tyson calling his name, but he shrugged it off.

* * *

Tyson was out breath long before he made it to Kai's gate. His lungs and chest burned, and he blamed his physical weakness on the tears brimming in his eyes. If he wasn't struggling so hard not to cry, then he could breath a bit easier and not be in so much pain. However, he couldn't stop the tears from forming.

He was already late but there was a slim possibility that Kai's flight had been delayed. Knowing that Kai might still be in Japan tore Tyson apart inside. One second he was hoping and the next he was in despair as he ran. It was too much for him so he tried to focus on something else, like what he would say to Kai.

He didn't know what he could say to Kai that would make the older boy stay, but he had to try. If he succeeded then great, but if he failed to bring his friend back home then at least he could say goodbye and tell Kai what he felt.

His feelings towards Kai were strange and unexplainable to him, but he would try his best to convey them. He wouldn't let Kai leave without knowing what he was doing to Tyson.

As Tyson rounded a corner, his heart stopped.

So faraway that Tyson could barely make out his features was Kai, and he was boarding the plane.

The tears Tyson had been holding back burst from his eyes as he cried out Kai's name and ran towards the older teen. He outstretched his arm as if doing so would allow him to grab a hold of Kai before he got on the plane, but Tyson knew better.

As Kai's form vanished from his view, Tyson collapsed on his knees and buried his face in hands and cried harder than he ever had in his life.

His chest heaved, his stomach churned, and his eyes felt like they were going to pop out of his head from all the crying he was doing. With each shuddering breath, Tyson felt his heart explode again and again, each explosion leading to a new wave of emotion.

He was shattered.

He was shattered to the point where he didn't notice the security guards coming towards him or being pulled off of the ground. He couldn't hear their voices as they questioned him, nor could he see the flashing bulbs of cameras. All Tyson could see was Kai vanishing from view and all he heard was one thought:

_I failed. I couldn't tell him… anything!_

_

* * *

_

"_I cannot be without [you]. You're my perfect little punching bag."_

_Please Don't Leave Me_—Pink

* * *

The End

* * *

**Author's Note: **There is an epilogue. This is the end of the story, if you don't want a happy ending. If you do, then please read the epilogue when it is posted.

Again, thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story. You have all been so patient and understanding. All of you have reminded me what I love about writing and fanfiction. I only wish it hadn't taken me so long to finish this story.


	24. Epilogue

Epilogue

"[I am] left alone with only reflections of the memory, to face the ugly [one] that's smothering me."

_Sorrow_-Flyleaf

* * *

A familiar pair of tear-filled eyes looked pleadingly up at Kai, piercing his heart with the intensity of emotion behind them. If ever in his life he had claimed to have seen true sorrow, he had been wrong until this moment. The heart wrenching pain captured within the eyes staring at him was so powerful Kai swore the owner of the eyes was dying, but the owner wasn't.

Tyson was very much alive in the picture plastered on the front of the newspaper Kai was holding in his hands. The article was about Tyson breaking the law by disobeying a security guard and entering the terminal area of the airport before passing security. The article didn't mention anything about why Tyson broke the law, but it didn't have to; Kai knew Tyson must have been trying to stop him from leaving Japan.

Unable to look at those soulful eyes anymore, Kai tossed the newspaper onto the carpet of his hotel room and let himself collapse on his soft, cushy bed. Closing his eyes, he let his mind wander, but Tyson's tear streaked face kept appearing before his mind's eye.

Frustrated, Kai opened his eyes, grumbled, and sat up. He let his eyes scan the room for any form of distraction but found nothing. His room was dark because he had yet to turn on a light and it was small too. There was a tiny TV that Kai could watch but he rather not because he feared that if he turned on the news he would Tyson's picture on the screen and a news reporter talking about him.

Sighing, Kai frowned.

He was alone. When had he last been alone, truly alone? Kai had been on a team for so long he had forgotten what it was like to enter a room and know that no one was there. No one would greet him. No one would chatter incessantly into his ear about stupid mundane things. No one would smile at him or joke with him, no matter how angry he was.

It was painful. It made his heart ached.

Kai's eyes widened in shock. He gripped at his chest. Was he really feeling lonely and regretful?

Shaking his head in disbelief, Kai tried to rid himself of the strange emotions welling up inside him, but his attempts failed when his eyes landed on the picture of Tyson crying and reaching out to someone in the distance.

The constricting feeling in Kai's chest tightened, and for a moment he couldn't breathe. The feelings of loneliness and regret washed over Kai like a wave at the sight of Tyson's photo, but somehow the emotions were different than before. The emotions were tainted with something that made them twice as painful.

Wincing, Kai lifted his head towards the sky and stared at the dirty, white ceiling of his hotel room. He stared and kept staring until hours had passed and he finally let out a bittersweet chuckle.

He was starting to understand.

* * *

"[It's] been a long road since those hands I left my tears in, but I know it's never really over."

_Sober_- Kelly Clarkson

* * *

"Your counselor is here, Little Dude," Tyson's grandfather whispered through the crack between Tyson's bedroom door and the doorway. His grandpa's voice was soft—accepting but surrowful.

Tyson wished his grandfather would just send the counselor away.

Was it so wrong to feel depressed? Was it wrong to not want to talk to anyone? Sure, six months of not talking to anyone was a little extreme, but what was he supposed to say? His friends and family had already said it all: "Kai is a jerk", "You'll feel better soon", "You don't look too good. I'll make you some food, okay?", and other similar sentiments. That was until someone decided it was time for Tyson to see a counselor.

Tyson would have laughed if he had strength when he had heard that. How could he see a counselor when he refused to leave his room? Counselors didn't come to people's houses, or so Tyson had thought.

"Little Dude?" Tyson's grandfather called.

Tyson lifted his right hand up to signal to his grandfather that he had heard and understood what the old man had said earlier.

Tyson listened as his grandfather sighed sadly and left him alone for the moment.

He almost felt bad for not looking at his grandfather, but he couldn't help it. His gaze was glued to his bed, the last place where he had seen Kai before the older boy left for parts unknown.

Tyson was obsessed. He was mentally ill but it didn't matter. All he thought about was Kai and what he could have done better. He must have been the one to make Kai leave. He was such a screw up and he was always annoying Kai; it had to have been him. He had to be the reason.

There was a soft knock on Tyson's bedroom door, but he didn't answer.

"Tyson?" A soft female voice called as its owner pushed open the bedroom door, causing it to squeak. "Tyson?"

Tyson didn't respond and continued to look at his bed.

Everything was wrong. He knew he shouldn't be obsessing over Kai but he couldn't bring himself to care. He'd try to care but his heart was too heavy to stir up enough emotion to get him riled up. Was this what it was like to be dead?

"I hope you do not mind if I sit next to you," The female voice from earlier said.

From the corner of his eye Tyson saw a well dressed female figure take a seat next to him. So far Tyson noticed his counselor was female and wasn't too smug to sit on the floor next to a mentally ill teenager.

So far this counselor was doing better than the one Kai and him had seen almost a year ago.

Tyson's heart lurched at the memory of his first experience with a counselor, and he held his knees closer to his chest; he wanted comfort. He wished he could just forget that memory but he couldn't because if he did he would forget the kiss with Kai that came along with it.

Taking a deep breath the counselor asked, "How are you feeling, Tyson?"

His mind went blank. Tyson didn't know how to answer that question. He hadn't expected to be asked that question. His previous counselor had wasted very little time on questions and started assuming things so fast that Tyson thought it would be the same with this woman.

So how as he feeling?

His heart ached, his head was foggy and hurt, he felt like he couldn't breathe, his hair was a mess, he smelled, his clothes felt too big on him, he hated being in his room but he was afraid to go outside, he wanted to scream and pull out his hair, he wanted to break something, he felt neglected, he loathed himself for letting himself become so pitiful, and he felt like the worse person on earth because all of these things felt insignificant compared to how much missed and wanted to see Kai.

How did he feel? How did he feel?

"Horrible," Tyson whispered hoarsely from not using his voice for so long.

Hot tears ran down his face. He hadn't cried since that day six months ago. He had felt so ashamed when he saw on the cover of a newspaper a picture of him crying that he had not allowed himself to cry since that day.

Because he hadn't cried his friends and family had assumed he was recovering from Kai's departure. It was too late by the time they realized it was the opposite.

They kept assuming they knew what was going through Tyson's head until they finally gave up and handed him ff to a counselor.

It was amazing how she was the one person who was able to do the one thing he needed someone to do:

Ask him how he felt.

* * *

"One of these days I'll realize I'm so tired of feeling confused, but for now there's a reason that you're still here in my heart."

_Scar Tissue_-Kerli (demo)

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_One Year later…_

Tyson ran through the terminal, ignoring the yells and indignant looks people gave him. Some people were bold enough to try and chase after him, but Tyson laughed at their pathetic attempts. He was a champion Beyblader for a reason. He wouldn't be worthy of being a champion if he couln'td outrun a couple of average people, especially today.

Today Tyson felt like he had wings. He had woken up early and had checked his e-mail. Waiting patiently in his inbox had been a letter. After reading it, and asking his counselor for advice, he was off to the airport, this time entering the terminal legally.

It was hard to believe that it had been over a year since had been to this place. Everything looked the same and Tyson could swear that he had been there only a day ago.

He wondered how his counselor would react to knowing that.

She probably wouldn't be surprised, not after hearing everything about Kai and him—_everything_. She knew about the abuse, about the confusion Tyson felt towards Kai, and how Kai's departure had affected him. She didn't judge Tyson but listened and gave advice when it was needed, and when comfort was needed she did everything she could to make Tyson smile, even going as far as to buy him a milkshake.

If it weren't for his counselor, Tyson wouldn't know how he felt about Kai.

It was crazy, and even Tyson couldn't completely believe it, but he loved Kai.

Okay, maybe love was too strong a word, but there was definitely something there that went deeper than friendship.

Smiling to himself, Tyson stopped in front of one of the airport gates and watched as people came out of the gate. He hoped he hadn't arrived late.

Biting his bottom lip Tyson glanced around for a clock but didn't locate one.

Sighing in defeat, he let his gaze move back to the gate and smiled.

His heart that had felt so heavy months ago was alive, warm, and soaring like a bird through the sky. It could be raining outside and it would still seem like a sunny day in Tyson's eyes.

Impatient, Tyson ran forward with his arms open wide and crashed into a firm, strong body that grunted from the impact. With no warning, Tyson wrapped his arms around the body and buried his face in the chest of the one he was hugging.

He knew there was a good chance that he was going to get yelled at, and maybe slapped on the head for his actions, but he didn't care.

Tyson was completely caught off guard when a pair of strong arms wrapped around him and held him close.

Looking up, Tyson stared up into the eyes of the one he cared about most.

"Kai?" He asked, not sure how to react to his normally cold and distant friend.

Kai looked down at him and even though he didn't smile or say a word Tyson saw the happiness glowing in Kai's eyes.

"I wasn't sure if you would get the e-mail I sent you," Kai spoke softly so no one else would hear.

Tyson smiled. "I did. Thanks for sending."

Pulling out of the embrace, Kai shoved his hands in his pants pockets and shrugged nonchalantly. "I wasn't sure if you would come."

"I almost didn't," Tyson admitted. "But after talking to someone, I knew I would sad if I wasn't the first one to greet you home."

"Home?" Kai repeated and frowned in bemusement.

Tyson's smile widened and he took a hold of Kai's hand, preparing to lead the older boy out of the airport. "Yes. Home."

* * *

She must rinse this all away. She can't hold him this way. She must rinse this all away. She can't love him this way."

_Rinse_—Vanessa Carlton

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**Dedicated to** my cat, for watching over me when I wrote this story, and for keeping me sane and calm with his purrs. Dream of sunshine and chasing mice.

I hope all of you enjoyed reading this story. I am sorry it took so long to complete this (five years and seven months to the day). Please feel free to share your thoughts on this story, and once again, thank you, everyone.


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